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GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 
AROUND THE WORLD 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding froTn 
The Library of Congress 



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AGRA, INDIA. 
The Taj Mahal from the Gateway. 



GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

AROUND THE WORLD 



BY 
HOWARD S. F. RANDOLPH 



Illustrated with Photographs 
Taken by the Author 



THE 

STANHOPE-DODGE PUBLISHING COMPANY 

Larchmont, New York 

1913 






Copyright. 1913, by 
STANHOPE-DODGE COMPANY 



J. F. TAPLEY CO. 
NEW YORK 



FEB 10 1914 

©CU362528 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I The United States .... i 

II Across the Pacific .... 14 

III Japan and Korea 19 

IV China 46 

V Manila 61 

VI Singapore and Java ... 66 

VII From Singapore to Calcutta . 75 

VIII India . . . . . . . .79 

IX Ceylon 100 

X Egypt 106 

XI Palestine and Syria . . .110 

XII Constantinople and Greece . 121 

XIII Italy and Sicily 128 

Itinerary 134 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

The Taj Mahal . Frontispiece ^ 

FACING 
PAGE 

Acoma 4^ 

The Petrified Forests 6 v 

Ruins of the Old Mission, San Juan Capistrano 10 iS 

The Yosemite Falls 12 ^ 

A Room in a Japanese House 24 -^ 

The Principal Street, Ikao 28*^ 

The Dai-butsu, Kamakura .] 

A Diver, Enoshima I . . . 30 V 

Waiting for the Emperor's Funeral! 

The "Banqueting Hall," Seoul 44 

A Street Scene, Mukden \ g 

Residence of the American Consul, Mukden J 

A Manchu 

The Avenue of Animals at the Ming Tombs, 

Nankow . 

The Fallen Porker, Mukden 

The Temple of Heaven, Peking .... 
A Bronze Lion in the Llama Temple, Peking. 

At a Railway Station, Peking 50 

The Great Wall of China 52^ 

Street Scenes, Manila 62 ^ 

Washing Clothes, Java 

At an Inland Station, Java 

Rice Terraces, Java 

The Fighting-Cocks of the Sultan of Djoja- 

karta 



48 



■^ 



68 ^ 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



FACING 
PAGE 

Boro-boedoer, Java . J2 

A Water Carrier, Penang 

Workmen, Singapore . . 

A Little Chinaman, Penang 

"Baksheesh," Penang . 

Temples and Shrines at the Base of the Shwe- 

Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon 78 

The Burning Ghat, Benares . . . . ' . . , 82 
The Tomb of I'timad-ud-daulah, Agra . . 

A Glimpse of the Taj 

Marble Screen in the Tomb of Salim Chishti 

Tomb of Salim Chishti, Fatehpur-Sikri 

The "Saman Burg," Agra . . 

Detail of the Carving on the Taj 

Entrance to the "Saman Burg" 

The Pearl Mosque, Agra 

The Kutab Minar, Delhi . . 

Praying to a Lingham, Tan j ore 94 

"The Tank of the Golden Lilies," Madura 

A Banyan Tree, Colombo 

A Dagoba, Anurhadhapura ... ."1 
A "Guardian Stone," Anurhadhapura J " 

Abou-Simbel 108 

A Street Scene, Jerusalem 112 

The Courtyard of an Old House, Bethlehem . 114 

An Old Archway, Damascus 118 

"Selamlik." The Sultan, Mohammed V, Con- 
stantinople 122 

In the Colonnade of the Parthenon, Athens . 124 
"Death" — in the Ruins of the Cathedral, Mes- 
sina 130 



76/ 



</ 



84 



86 1/ 



}. • 96 



102 



Glimpses of the Unusual 

Around the World 

Chapter I 

THE UNITED STATES 

A trip around the world — it seems like a 
stupendous undertaking before starting out. 
On returning it seems but a simple jaunt after 
all, with no cause to fuss and fume about it. 

" Which place did you like best ? " is the 
question immediately flung at you by every- 
one you meet, with startling unanimity. 
Then you must explain that each country has 
its own attraction, its own peculiarities; just 
as " there is one glory of the sun, and another 
glory of the moon, and another glory of the 
stars," so each country has its own glory, and 
comparison is impossible. This little book is 
an attempt to show something of the attrac- 
tions of each of these countries, and to give 
a few glimpses of the unusual things encoun- 
tered. 

The trip started calmly enough, with visits 
to friends in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Chi- 
i 



2 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

cago. Denver — after Chicago — seemed the 
essence of all that was clean and quiet. Its 
public and private buildings are unusually 
beautiful, even though they have a " Wel- 
come " arch that is about as sincere as a door- 
mat with the same inscription. At Colorado 
Springs it snowed for three hours — though 
it was the middle of June. The " Garden of 
the Gods " is beautiful, but much over-praised, 
and the ascent of Pikes Peak at five dollars 
a head is rather steep. Instead I went up to 
Cripple Creek, lured on by a circular that said 
" any attempt to reproduce in words the glory 
of that scene must be tawdry vulgarity," and 
then went on to prove the statement. Cripple 
Creek itself is a squalid shanty-town, but has 
a magnificent and extensive view of the 
Rockies. At quaint Albuquerque an artist 
spoke of Acoma, and persuaded me to visit it. 
Acoma is an Indian pueblo about eighteen 
miles from Laguna, a station beyond Albuquer- 
que on the Santa Fe. Laguna itself is an 
Indian pueblo, and the only room to be had 
there is at a Mr. Marmon's, one of the few 
white men of the town. The one train stop- 
ping here arrived at eleven o'clock at night, 
and at that hour Mr. Marmon was with diffi- 
culty aroused. He provides a room only — 
for meals one goes to an old freight car on a 
switch, where an ex-waiter serves canned but- 
ter, canned milk and other delectables. 



THE UNITED STATES 



Marmon supplied a team and a driver — an 
Indian, who proved at first rather uncommuni- 
cative. We drove directly over the prairie, 
with only the scantiest trace of a road. The 
wonderful rock formations excelled those of 
the " Garden of the Gods " in every way ex- 
cept color, for here the rocks were white and 
not red. 

Before reaching Acoma we passed the " En- 
chanted Mesa " — an oval-shaped rock of 
enormous size, standing alone on the plain — 
with sheer precipitous sides four hundred and 
fifty feet high. On this mesa the pueblo of 
Acoma was once supposed to have been sit- 
uated. The tradition is that there was but 
a single trail leading to the top, and that the 
falling of a large mass of rock one day made 
it impassable. All the inhabitants were at 
work in the fields below, with the exception of 
a few old women. They could not be rescued, 
and have haunted the mesa ever since. 
From this it gets its name, for the word trans- 
lated " enchanted " would be more properly 
rendered " haunted." Sturgis calls it the 
grandest rock in America: it is certainly one 
of the most impressive. 

Acoma was plainly visible from the " En- 
chanted Mesa," though three miles away; but 
it was some time before the outlines of the 
adobe buildings at the top of the three hun- 
dred and fifty foot mesa could be discerned. 



4 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

Here a small Indian boy consented to act as 
guide. His only English consisted of the 
words " Gimme-mun," and this he was 
promptly christened. He led the way up a 
steep sandy trail, with most curious rock for- 
mations on either side. At the base we 
passed a natural corral with some Indians at 
work, who strenuously objected to being 
photographed. In some places the ascent was 
difficult, as the trail led over the face of the 
rock with but tiny ledges cut in for the feet. 
Another trail has recently been made by 
which horses can make the ascent. 

The top of the mesa was surprisingly level. 
Near by stands the cathedral, with walls sixty 
feet high and ten feet thick. Every particle 
of the material for this building had to be 
brought up from the plains below, and it took 
many years to build it. The dwellings, all of 
adobe, were two or three stories high, the en- 
trance being usually on the second floor, 
reached by a ladder. On the exterior walls 
hung meat and herbs. 

A host of young girls and children brought 
out specimens of their handiwork for sale — 
mostly gaudily painted earthen dishes of 
crude pattern. As a bribe to be allowed to 
take photographs I bought several of these, 
gave some cookies to the children, and took 
out my camera — only to find on looking up 
that I was absolutely alone! But I photo- 



THE UNITED STATES 



graphed the buildings until stopped by an old 
woman who asked me if I had a permit. 
She said that one was absolutely necessary, 
that I could procure it from her, and finally 
brought the price down to seventy-five cents. 
Rather than continue parleying, I paid her the 
money, and took several more pictures. On 
a rock in the distance I spied two* Indians ap- 
proaching, and knew instinctively that they 
wanted to speak to me. As they came nearer 
I found that my suspicions were correct. Im- 
mediately one of them — who later said that 
he had been a student at Carlisle — assumed 
an expression of great ferocity, and asked if 
I had a permit to take photographs. I told 
him of the incident with the Indian woman, 
but asked what they cost and where they 
could be procured. He answered that they 
cost two dollars, and could be obtained from 
the " Guv'nor," indicating the other man. 
On discovering that he was the " Guv'nor " I 
treated him with great deference, to mollify 
him as much as possible. They seemed to be 
puzzled by the fact that I had paid a woman 
for the privilege, but " Gimme-mun " evi- 
dently corroborated my statement, and finally 
they agreed that if I paid one dollar and a 
quarter more it would be all right. An old 
man led me to his house to get the change. 
The room was unusually large, about twenty- 
five by forty feet. A very old Indian woman 



6 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

offered a chair, which, with a table covered 
with a piece of oilcloth, a few dishes, and a 
bed in a distant corner of the room completed 
the furniture. Everything was immaculately 
clean. 

Having received my change, I asked if I 
could continue photographing. But as I had 
committed a grave crime by taking a pic- 
ture without a permit in the first place, they 
determined that I must expiate by paying an- 
other dollar before taking more photographs. 
Having all I wanted, I refused, and was led 
politely to the top of the trail, and dismissed 
with a " good-by." Surely we do not have 
to leave our own country to experience all the 
thrills of foreign travel, including even the 
joy of " baksheesh " and " cumshaw." 

Adamana is said to have been named after 
the first settler and his wife. From here you 
drive over the desert to the Petrified Forests. 
These " forests " are various portions of the 
neighboring plain on which the petrified re- 
mains of primeval forests are found. Some 
of the trees lie as they fell; one has a gully 
underneath it, forming thereby a natural 
bridge; but most of the trees have broken 
into innumerable small pieces. The ground 
is strewn with these fragments, with colors 
of remarkable brilliancy, ranging from red, 
yellow and brown to blue and gray. 

The " hotel " was impossible ; so the trim 



% 





THE PETRIFIED FORESTS, ARIZONA. 

An Old Log. 

The "Natural Bridge." 



THE UNITED STATES 



little Fred Harvey hotel at Winslow seemed 
especially inviting. On the way up to the 
Grand Canyon the next day it was interest- 
ing to watch the numerous rabbits and prairie 
dogs so abundant in this section. 

The " El Tovar " at the Grand Canyon is 
another Fred Harvey hotel, well adapted to 
its surroundings. It stands on the brink of 
the Canyon, and commands a wonderful view. 
Again description would be " tawdry vul- 
garity " : a vast chasm thirteen miles wide 
and hundreds of miles long, lined with mighty 
cliffs and towering peaks of fantastic shapes 
and magnificent coloring. Reds, yellows, 
grays and buffs predominated in myriad com- 
binations. It is a marvelous sight: truly 
awful, magnificent, and wonderful; but there 
was a lack to me — or in me — of something 
that made it appealing. But I find very few 
who share this feeling with me. 

Four days gave many variations of early 
morning and late afternoon light. The Bright 
Angel trail down to the river is seven miles 
long and descends in that distance nearly four 
thousand five hundred feet. A large part of 
the trail is on a narrow ledge less than three 
feet wide, with an unsympathetic cliff on one 
side and a yawning abyss on the other. The 
donkeys, trained to keep near the edge when 
ladened with goods, seem to delight in giving 
their passengers heart-failure. The Colorado 



8 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

at the foot of the trail is a dirty brown river 
of terrific current. On reaching the top in 
the late afternoon I breathed a fervent 
" Never again." A good walker, equal to the 
distance and the steep climb, would not mind 
the trip at all, but from the back of a donkey 
it is certainly frightful. 

One's first impression of California — in 
July, at any rate — is of sand and burnt 
brown grass. Bleakness and brownness 
everywhere. The weather was downcast and 
forbidding, and the temperature varied ap- 
pallingly. Hot July weather in Los Angeles 
was succeeded by welcome grate fires in Santa 
Barbara, intense heat in Merced Valley, and 
cold blustering winds in San Francisco. In 
San Diego only did I enjoy weather comfort 
— here climate and temperature were perfect. 

The Californians who' write the various ad- 
vertisements of all kinds are the happiest liars 
I have ever encountered. The use of the com- 
parative is unknown in description — every- 
thing is in the superlative, regardless of truth 
and probability. Our own Eastern ad writers 
are fairly inventive, but these " Native Sons " 
make them look like a kindergarten class. 

Everything is the est in the zuorld: the 

biggest, the old^, the best, or the high^; 
so that you move along in a rarefied atmos- 
phere of glory until you trip on some simple 



THE UNITED STATES 



fact and come plunging back to Mother 
Earth. 

A passing mention only can be made of the 
various places visited in my two weeks in 
Southern California. Tabulated, they were: 

— Santa Barbara, with its lovely old mission ; 
Long Beach — a second Coney Island, as are 
all the beaches near Los Angeles; Catalina 

— with its glass bottom boats and submarine 
gardens — great forests of gorgeous iodine 
kelp waving in the watery breeze, with bril- 
liantly colored fishes taking the place of birds ; 
San Diego — with its beautiful harbor and 
bright future ; Tia Juana — " Aunt Jane," a 
straggling village just over the border in Mex- 
ico ; Pasadena — a Ladies' Home Journal 
ideal village of doll houses and preciseness ; 
Venice — another beach, with an aquarium 
containing the uncanniest water animals 
imaginable : and the missions of San Luis Rey 
and San Juan Capistrano. 

These old missions are fascinating. San 
Juan Capistrano charmed me most — old, fall- 
ing into decay, it kindles as many memories as 
a pressed rose. It breathes of dignity, of hos- 
pitality, of purity, of calmness and devotion, 
of high ideals and gallant chivalry. 

There is little of it left : the ruins of a large 
chapel, which fell during an earthquake about 
a century ago ; four arches with the old bells ; 



io GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

a white arcade on the exterior; and a large 
patio or court, filled with the remnants of an 
old garden, and surrounded by a vine-clad 
arcade — is about all that there is to be seen. 

I wandered around the buildings for a 
while, and then entered the patio through an 
archway covered with climbing roses. There 
I found a man painting. 

" This is an ideal spot, isn't it? " I asked. 

" Yes," he answered with a laugh, " but this 
painting isn't." 

He proved to be the resident priest, and was 
as interesting as the buildings among which he 
worked. He took me to the small chapel and 
through other buildings of the mission. 
Everything was falling into decay: but the 
climbing vines and roses — the very unkempt- 
ness, breathed a spirit of peace and calmness 
seldom found in America, and which no 
restoration could hope to preserve. 

The Glenwood Mission Inn at Riverside is 
modeled after these old missions, copying 
something from each, and partaking of the 
spirit of all. It is unique. The atmosphere 
of the old missions is certainly preserved, 
though modified and modernized. It must 
approach the dream of the old Fathers them- 
selves. It is furnished with exquisite taste, 
and every detail is carefully carried out — for 
instance, over the desk runs the legend, 




".T 







SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIFORNIA. 
Ruins of the Old Mission. 



THE UNITED STATES n 

"Ye canna expect to be baith grand and comfortable," 
while over the bell-boys' seat is, 

"Rest is the sweet sauce after labor." 

In the garden are exquisite semi-tropical 
plants and trees, with a few tame parrots 
strutting around. A loggia contains a won- 
derful collection of old and historic bells. 

But the chief glory of the house is the 
music room. Built like a chapel, with a 
fascinating cloistered walk around it, with 
carved Gothic pews, and priceless decorations 
from all parts of the world, it is the essence 
of good taste and harmoniousness. It was 
dusk as I entered. Someone was playing 
" Traiimerei." The organ stopped, but from 
a high distant bell tower came the same haunt- 
ing refrain. 

At Redlands an old driver asked — apropos 
of my admiration of the pepper trees — if I 
were a New Yorker. I admitted it, but could 
not see the connection between the two sub- 
jects ; so asked why he thought so. 

" Oh," he said laconically, " all New York- 
ers like the pepper trees." 

Surely we are not alone in this apprecia- 
tion! 

At Merced it was necessary to change cars, 
and wait two hours with the mercury at 109 . 



12 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

On the train to El Portal it reached 115 ! 
The train followed the course of the Merced 
River, which is in reality a good-sized brook, 
but as it was the first river I had seen in Cali- 
fornia that had any water in it at all I made 
no complaint. 

The Yosemite has all the charm and at- 
traction which the Grand Canyon lacked. 
Though not the torrents they were in May, 
the waterfalls were still beautiful, and the 
views of El Capitan and the Half Dome were 
magnificent. No, even the Enchanted Mesa, 
beautiful as it is, cannot rival these wonder- 
ful rocks. 

Another donkey-back excursion led past the 
Vernal and Nevada Falls to Glacier Point, 
with its marvelous view. Three thousand 
feet directly below us was Camp Curry, and 
we were surprised to see it in flames. From 
our lofty seat we had an excellent view of the 
efforts to extinguish the fire. Over seventy- 
five tents were burned, and much other dam- 
age done. 

A day's coaching over the dustiest road 
imaginable brought us to Wawona, and from 
here we drove to the Big Trees. The oldest 
and tallest tree — the " Grizzly Giant " — is 
said to be eight thousand years old, though 
John Muir doubts if any of the trees are over 
five thousand years. It is three hundred and 
twenty-seven feet tall, and one hundred and 




THE YOSEMITE, CALIFORNIA. 
The Yosemite Falls. 



THE UNITED STATES 13 

four feet in circumference at the base. But 
these trees, while wonderfully majestic, are 
so well proportioned, and so surrounded by 
other vast trees, that it is absolutely im- 
possible to get any real conception of their 
enormous size. 

Though tired by our trip of the day be- 
fore, it was necessary for us to take the stage 
for eleven hours, covering over fifty miles, to 
reach El Portal and the sleeper to San Fran- 
cisco. Never was a berth so comfortable. 

Four days in San Francisco gave but little 
time for sight-seeing, as it was necessary to 
make final preparations for sailing. The trip 
up Mt. Tamaplais was interesting, but not as 
much so as the ruins of the old city hall, about 
the only reminder of the earthquake left stand- 
ing. 

California has much that is beautiful, for 
which superlatives are needed. But let us 
hope that these " Native Sons " will learn to 
discriminate. 



Chapter II 
ACROSS THE PACIFIC 

The six days on the "Korea" from San 
Francisco to Honolulu passed very quickly. 
There was much that was different from an 
Atlantic liner — the waiters, for instance, were 
all Chinese, and waited on the table in blue 
or white pa jama-like suits, while the men who 
wished to gamble did so playing fan-tan with 
the Chinese of the steerage. 

Among those whom later I grew to know 
better were the Rev. and Mrs. George M. 
Rowland, missionaries in Sapporo, Japan, and 
Mrs. Keator and her family, of Philadelphia, 
also making a trip around the world. 

The Hawaiian Islands have been so ex- 
tolled for their even climate that it was a real 
shock to find the heat very intense. Later, of 
course, I heard that it was an unprecedented 
summer ! 

August is not the best month to visit Hono- 
lulu, for, aside from the heat, few of the 
flowers and trees are in bloom; but enough 
remained to indicate the variety and attrac- 
tion of these tropical plants. Large Royal 
Poinciana trees, a mass of scarlet blossoms, 
14 



ACROSS THE PACIFIC 15 

formed one of the landscape's most striking 
features. 

Honolulu itself is not a particularly beauti- 
ful city, but its suburbs are delightful. 
Waikiki, about three miles out, is an attrac- 
tive residence section on the beach, with 
Diamond Head, a picturesque mountain, in the 
background. This beach is very famous, and 
is almost ideal. The incline is so gradual that 
one can walk out into the water for a long 
distance — half a mile or over. This un- 
usual feature is the cause of the long, high, 
and regular breakers which enable the surf 
board to be used successfully. This surf 
board riding is fascinating to watch, and must 
be wonderfully exciting — though few of 
the passing tourists are able to master it. 
The swimmers have a board about a foot and 
a half wide and six to eight feet long, rounded 
at one end, that they push ahead of them far 
out to sea. They turn, and wait for a large 
breaker. As it draws near they swim vio- 
lently, and if they are successful are pushed 
by the wave swiftly up to the beach without 
further effort. Great dexterity is shown in 
balancing ; some have all they can do to stand 
upright on the board, while experts turn 
somersaults, stand two on a board, or even 
carry a boy on their shoulders. 

A tenderfoot can get something of the 
thrill of this experience by taking a ride in 



16 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

a surf-boat with five or six other passengers, 
manned by two husky kanakas. As the wave 
approaches everyone must paddle vigorously, 
and if you are lucky enough to be caught by 
the wave, the resultant ride is certainly ex- 
hilarating. The beach would be absolutely 
ideal for swimming, were it not for the coral, 
which is very abundant and extremely sharp. 

At Waikiki is the aquarium, with an eye- 
opening display of tropical fish. One is con- 
stantly reminded of the Irishman's first view 
of the giraffe — " Begorry, there ain't no such 
animal." 

The Hawaiian language is unusually musi- 
cal. Every vowel ends a syllable, and every 
syllable is pronounced. The alphabet has only 
twelve letters, but its variety does not seem 
to be curtailed thereby. Some of the names 
strike confusion to our palates at first — such 
as Nuuanu Avenue and a fish at the aquarium 
called the " Uu " — pronounced like the note 
of a cuckoo! 

The most wonderful feature of the islands 
is the volcano of Mauna Loa. It has two 
craters; one of which, Kilauea, is always ac- 
tive. A night trip on a tiny boat from 
Honolulu to Hilo, on the island of Hawaii, 
followed by a thirty-mile auto trip on a good 
road through luxurious tropical jungles, brings 
you to the " Volcano House." The crater of 
Kilauea lies before you — a vast expanse of 



ACROSS THE PACIFIC 17 

dried lava eight miles in circumference, and 
sunk six hundred feet below the level of the 
surrounding ground. In its time this whole 
area was a sea of molten lava, but now the 
active part is confined to a huge hole, seven 
miles from the hotel, called by the natives 
" Halemaumau " — " The House of Everlast- 
ing Fire." From the hotel this reminds one 
of the guiding cloud of the Jews in the Wil- 
derness — a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar 
of fire by night. 

Standing on the brink of Halemaumau after 
nightfall, after the dense smoke becomes in- 
visible — the impression of the lake of fire is 
fascinating — almost hypnotizing. It is a 
huge caldron of molten lava, splashing, hiss- 
ing, always angry, incessantly moving, with 
here a giant fountain of golden lava, and 
there a towering black island beaten on all 
sides until it cracks. But description can 
give little idea of it. Seething, boiling, spout- 
ing, snarling, it is always looking for a way of 
escape like a caged lion. It is hell incarnate. 
But with all its mighty power, its terrible feroc- 
ity, its cruelty and hunger — it is neverthe- 
less sublimely beautiful. The lava rises some- 
times to within fifty feet of the surface, though 
when I was there it was about four hundred 
feet below. 

The voyage from Honolulu to Yokohama 
was uneventful. The boat, the " Shiny 



18 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

Maru," was a Japanese one, and was com- 
fortable and well managed. The voyage 
usually takes ten days, and is so scheduled, 
but we fortunately made it in nine, not count- 
ing August thirteenth, which was dropped in 
crossing the date line. 



Chapter III 

JAPAN AND KOREA 

The " Shiny o Maru" arrived in Yokohama 
on a boiling August day. The part of town 
first seen is far from attractive, though of 
course there is much to interest a new-comer 
in the appearance of houses and people. A 
jinrikisha ride through Theater Street in the 
evening gave a typical Japanese picture. 
Here were innumerable Japanese, the men 
wearing a long plain kimono and wooden san- 
dals, often with an American straw hat, 
and sometimes carrying a cane. The women, 
with their hair elaborately dressed, also wore 
long kimonos, sometimes floral, but more often 
plain, with beautiful obis or sashes. The 
street is wide and is lined with theaters and 
shops of all kinds. Above the shops hang 
gaudily painted signs with large Japanese 
characters. The shuffle of innumerable 
wooden clogs on a hard dirt road produces 
a sound quite distinct from any other, and 
impossible to describe. It gives the final 
realization to the fact that you are in a 
foreign country. 

The Rowlands asked me to go with them the 
next day to Karuizawa — I did not need much 
19 



20 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

persuasion. Karuizawa is a little resort 
where many of the missionaries go for the 
summer, on account of its cool climate. 
Near it is the active volcano of Asama-yama 

— of whose smoking top I caught but one 
glimpse; so cloudy was it during my stay. 
Here I met many of the missionaries, espe- 
cially at a large Baptist picnic attended by 
one hundred Baptists in all. 

For several years I had been correspond- 
ing with a Japanese boy named Toshio 
Tanaka, who lived at Maebashi, not far from 
Karuizawa. He had often asked me to visit 
him, and now sent another invitation, which 

— not without misgivings — I decided to ac- 
cept. He was not at the station when I ar- 
rived, for he had been out on the arrival of 
my telegram, but his family sent a servant to 
meet me. Through an interpreter he told me 
I was to wait, and soon Toshio came rushing 
up on his bicycle, panting and out of breath, 
his kimono flapping behind him. At first we 
had a little difficulty in understanding each 
other, but we were soon ensconced in 
jinrikishas and on our way to a Japanese 
hotel. Maebashi is a real Japanese city — 
Karuizawa and Yokohama are largely inhab- 
ited by foreigners. But at Maebashi a for- 
eigner is still something of a curiosity. The 
houses were of one or two stories for the most 
part, and the roofs were tiled. The main 



JAPAN AND KOREA 21 

streets — on one of which ran a trolley line — 
were wide, but the town was not attractive. 
The hotel was Japanese, but had had a few for- 
eign guests, and thought it knew exactly how 
to serve them. As I was with a Japanese, 
the son of one of the leading men of the town, 
I had every attention. At the door I removed 
my shoes, and shuffled up the stairs in 
bath-room slippers. The room was on the 
third floor, and was furnished with a low 
table and a few pillows. The floor was cov- 
ered with matting, and even slippers were 
tabooed here. My ideas of Japanese etiquette 
were rather vague, to say the least, in spite of 
a little coaching from Mrs. Rowland; so with 
lynx eyes I watched Toshio — to do as he did. 
Later I discovered he was watching me rather 
intently, and ever since I have been won- 
dering if he were trying to imitate me. I 
am afraid that I shocked him many times that 
day — more especially by abruptness of man- 
ner than by any real discourtesy, I hope. On 
ordering tea a servant brought out from the 
window seat a Satsuma tea set, later bring- 
ing it back with a covered Satsuma bowl. 
We drank our tea — oh, so slowly, but no 
reference was made to the bowl. Once 
Toshio left the room, and I looked in. It 
contained cake, but he did not offer it for 
some time. Then I took a piece in my chop 
sticks and carried it directly to my mouth — 



22 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

a terrible breach of etiquette. Toshio said 
" I am surprised to see you do so." 

Then he ordered dinner. This was a long 
and elaborate process. After endless bowing 
and scraping the servants left, to reappear 
later with the meal. It still remains the most 
remarkable one of my life! First we had 
Japanese pears and Japanese beer — the pears 
tasting as much like apples as pears, or 
rather tasting like a combination of the two. 
Then two trays were brought in, each with 
two dishes. One dish was a bowl of ice, 
with a glass raft over it, on which rested a 
few slices of raw fish. With the sauce pro- 
vided it was, contrary to my expectations, de- 
licious. In the other dish was ice cream, for- 
tunately served with spoons. Toshio would 
eat a little bit of the fish, wait a long time, 
eat a little ice cream, and wait some more; 
so I followed suit. These waits between 
mouthfuls became interminable. If I had 
been sure that he was living up to his Japa- 
nese customs I would not have been uneasy, 
but I was sure that he felt he was being very 
American. I had a lusty appetite, and the 
long waits between bites only served to whet 
it constantly. 

At length that course was finished. Two 
more trays were brought in, this time with 
fried brook trout and bamboo roots. After 
this came another course; pressed chicken 



JAPAN AND KOREA 23 

and some other dish — I have forgotten what. 
Then came a large plate of bread, a bowl of 
butter, mostly melted, and a large bottle. I 
asked what was in it. Toshio — who had a 
very direct way of looking at you, his eyes 
wide open, his expression serious, almost 
tragic — took up the bottle, smelled it solemnly, 
set it down and said : " I think it is soup." 
It was, but we did not indulge ! 

Then we took jinrikishas to his house. 
The grounds were large and contained sev- 
eral buildings, the largest of which was the 
residence itself. Toshio's room was on the 
second floor of a separate building — this is 
customary for an eldest son — and there I was 
led. 

In the middle of the room was a low table 
on which was a brazier with a burning coal, 
from which we lit our cigarettes. A Japa- 
nese girl — about the homeliest that I saw in 
Japan — came in bearing candies, and Toshio 
told me that she was his servant. Later an- 
other girl brought up a tray with tea. She 
fell to the floor and kow-towed, but not until 
she was leaving did Toshio mention the fact 
that she was his sister. Later his mother 
came up — here again I made a grave breach 
of etiquette by rising. So later when his 
father came up I was schooled to remain 
seated and kow-tow. After the third time I 
was quite ready to stop, but as the father 



24 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

showed no sign of weariness I must needs 
continue, wondering which of us should stop 
first. It was a very delicate point. 

Toshio himself was about eighteen, short, 
slight, frail, but very studious. His father 
was short and stout, with an extremely pene- 
trating eye. His mother was a refined Japa- 
nese woman, with a bright intelligent face. 
She was, in spite of her inability to speak Eng- 
lish, very much the courteous hostess. 

Later Toshio asked me if I would like to 
take a bath. Knowing that the Japanese 
bathe together, I asked if I might bathe with 
him, not being at all certain of doing the 
right thing if left to my own devices. He 
seemed pleased, and led me to a small room 
where we undressed, from which we entered 
the bath-room adjoining. It was about eight 
feet square, all of bamboo, with a tub in it 
about three feet square and three feet deep. 
The water in this tub was about 115 — that is 
the usual temperature for Japanese baths. 
We seated ourselves on tiny stools, and threw 
buckets of this boiling water over ourselves. 
Then he asked me to get in the tub — for- 
tunately I am used to hot baths — and after 
I came out he got in. Then he asked me if I 
would like his servant to rub my back. Re- 
membering the female he had called his serv- 
ant I asked " Boy ? " He said it was ; so I 
acquiesced. To my complete surprise the girl 




MAEBASHI, JAPAN. 
A Room in a Japanese House. 

Toshio Tanaka in his own room. 



JAPAN AND KOREA 25 

entered and proceeded to rub my back vigor- 
ously. The hot water and the vigorous rub- 
bing relieved me of most of my cuticle, and 
some of my skin. I turned to Toshio and 
asked, " Am I very dirty ? " Again that almost 
tragical expression, as he replied " Yes — 
very ! " Later I found that " boy " was a gen- 
eric name in Japanese English for " servant." 
It was a very hot day, and I found it almost 
impossible to dry myself. Toshio told me to 
sit in the window to cool. When his sister 
passed a little later I was hardly embarrassed 
at all — I was getting acclimated ! 

Toshio wanted to see me in Japanese 
clothes, and brought out some of his father's. 
The kimono was rather short, and not ex- 
pansive enough, especially when I sat on the 
floor. We went into the main room of the 
house, made quite large by throwing back all 
the shoji, and had more tea. My size seemed 
to be a source of amazement. At one time 
Mrs. Tanaka slapped her hip vigorously, and 
said something in Japanese, which Toshio 
translated : " My-e mother say — you have 
very fine constitution." His father was so 
impressed that he opened the shoji leading into 
his office — he is a surgeon — so that he and 
his two patients, sitting around a huge 
brazier, could see me. Then he asked if he 
might weigh me, and led me to a funny little 
scale with a built-in chair on the platform. 



26 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

Toshio announced with evident satisfaction 
that I weighed twenty-four pounds, but his 
satisfaction was nothing compared to mine. 
Needless to say the unit of measure was not 
pounds. 

We returned to Toshio's room after a while, 
and another guest was announced by Toshio 
in this remarkable manner : " An Indian 
comes." I was prepared for most anything 
but an Indian! He proved to be an East- 
Indian from Malacca, who had lived in Paris, 
London, New York, and nearly all the large 
cities of the world. He spoke, besides his 
own language, French, English, German, 
Japanese, Chinese, Italian, and a little Turkish 
and Russian, but his English was by no means 
as good as Toshio's. He was short, with a 
rat-like head and a stringy long beard of per- 
haps a dozen hairs, and was dressed in Eng- 
lish clothes. Later Toshio's entire family re- 
turned to his room. When it was time for me 
to change my clothes and go back to the 
hotel, they showed no evidence of leaving, 
and I was at a loss what to do, until the 
" Indian," perceiving my difficulty, suggested 
that all but Toshio should wait downstairs 
until I was dressed! 

At the hotel the manager had prepared an 
American bed for me, much to my disgust, as 
I should have preferred a Japanese quilt. 
But I saw that I would give offense if I did 



JAPAN AND KOREA 27 

not use the bed; so was led to another room 
by the manager, followed by Toshio, the 
" Indian," the wife of the manager, and most 
of the servants. The bed was an iron one, 
placed in the exact center of the room, with 
a hideous and close mosquito net over it col- 
ored purple and green. The sheet was a nar- 
row and short piece of white crepe, the only 
cover a quilt, though the night was stifling. 
The pillow was a towel stuffed with hay — 
later I took one of the beautiful soft cushions 
off the floor in my room to use on my bed. 
I felt the bed, nodded approval — which I did 
not feel — and immediately everyone was in 
smiles, as if a momentous question had been 
solved. Then I made an appointment with 
Toshio for the next morning at six-thirty, 
and retired. 

It was too cool without the quilt, and too 
hot with it. After some hours I went to 
sleep, to be awakened the next moment, it 
seemed, by Toshio. It was five-thirty! He 
said he had come early, as the car we wanted 
to take, and which he thought left at seven- 
thirty, really left at seven. I dressed, and 
then he told me that the seven o'clock car 
would make us wait an hour at the transfer 
point; so that it would be better to wait for 
the eight o'clock car after all ! 

It was a dark, lowering day, and hot too. 
We took the trolley to Ikao, where we met 



28 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

Miyakawa, a friend of Toshio's, who also 
spoke English. 

Ikao is a most interesting town, and is 
famous for its sulphur baths. Its main street 
is built on the side of a hill, and consists of 
steps for nearly its whole length. The houses, 
and their settings, are very picturesque. 
We took a walk in the morning, and in the 
afternoon started off for Haruna — for in an 
unguarded moment I had said I wanted to 
go there. A slow drizzling rain set in, that 
dampened my enthusiasm and ardor greatly. 
We climbed straight up a mountain side, and 
the heat was intense. I tried to tell them 
that it was useless to go to Haruna on 
a day like this, that we wouldn't be able to 
see anything when we got there. But they 
were adamantine — I had said I wanted to 
see it, and see it I must. If I had known the 
distance I would have stopped then and there, 
but they kept saying it was " only a little ways 
further " or " very near," until we had actu- 
ally walked the six miles to the lake. Of 
course we could see nothing; so then we had 
to turn around and walk back. But return- 
ing was not quite so bad, as I really knew 
how far I had to go, and most of the way was 
down hill. 

At Haruna were two hotels, each crowded 
with guests from Ikao hotels. We met boys 
running along the road carrying umbrellas to 




IKAO, JAPAN. 
The Principal Street. 



JAPAN AND KOREA 29 

them — imagine sending a boy six miles with 
an umbrella — a paper one at that ! Some of 
the more fortunate guests had hammock-like 
chairs, carried by two coolies if the passenger 
were Japanese, but by four to six if he were a 
foreigner. The Japs looked very comfortable 
all snuggled up in this hammock, but the 
foreigners did not look so at all — elbows and 
knees were particularly conspicuous. Per- 
haps I was not so badly off after all. 

The long trolley ride back to Maebashi in 
wet clothes did not make for comfort either, 
but one of those steaming hot baths in the 
hotel tub made me at peace with the world 
again. After dinner was served — in my 
room, of course, as there is no public dining 
room — I was very ready for bed. 

After returning to Yokohama a proposed 
trip with Toshio had to be canceled, for his 
grandfather, as he wrote " has become sick, 
and is going to danger." 

A letter from Toshio to a friend in America 
about my visit is too good not to give. Much 
allowance must be made in it for " Japanese 
politeness." Here is a portion of the letter: 

" I had a very happy and good Summer vacation 
last-year, because Mr. Howard, my intimate friend, 
came over to our country, and kindly visited my 
house. 

"He is a fine gentleman indeed; his eyes are 
large and clear, his nose is high and he has also a 



30 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

tender smile in his face, which he always gives us 
when he speaks with us. He also speaks English 
eloquently, and I was taught a great deal of English 
languages while he was staying. Truely, I have never 
met with such a fine foreign gentleman in our 
country. My parents and Sister were very glad to 
see him, and wished him to stay as long as he 
could ; but unfortunately they can not speak English 
nicely, they only talked with him in gesticulation. 
If they only could speak English nicely, they would 
be greatly pleased. We were very much surprised 
to see Mr. Howard was accustomed to the Japanese 
style very well. He knows well the Japanese polite- 
ness, he takes Japanese food and also smokes Jap- 
anese cigarettes. I haye once heard from our 
English teacher that the people who live in your 
country are all sociable men, truly I found it in Mr. 
Howard. He is a very sociable man indeed, for 
this was for the first time I met with him in my 
life, but he talked with us as if he had known us 
from a child. I like very much such a man. Oh! 
what a happy Summer vacation I spent last year. 
If I shall have the pleasure of seeing you in our 
country this Summer, I shall be a very happy man 
in the world." 

The railway trip to Kamakura is through 
very pretty country, the rice fields and ter- 
races being especially attractive. At Kama- 
kura is the Dai-butsu, or Great Buddha. 
This marvelous bronze was cast about the 
middle of the thirteenth century. It has none 
of the exaggerations of so many of the other 
Buddhas, though of course Oriental in char- 
acter, and is really sublimely impressive. It 




JAPAN. 

Two views of the Dai-butsu, or Great Buddha, at 

Kamakura. 

A Diver at Enoshima. 

Waiting for the Emperor's Funeral. 



JAPAN AND KOREA 31 

is almost fifty feet high, and is said to be the 
largest piece of cast bronze in existence. In 
its calm and dignity it cannot be surpassed : it 
certainly typifies all that is best in the religion 
it symbolizes. 

At Enoshima a few miles away is a cave 
highly revered by the Japanese, but of no 
great interest to foreigners. The island is 
attractive, though, and the fishermen and 
divers, with their small bodies but magnificent 
physiques, are well worth seeing. 

The Rowlands had giyen me a cordial in- 
vitation to visit them in Sapporo on the island 
of Hokkaido — often called Yezo — just 
north of Hondo, which is the largest and most 
important island. Of course I accepted, but 
on my way there made several stops. 

My first was a short one at Tokyo, where 
a long jinrikisha ride to the station from the 
hotel at night, through the narrow back 
streets, proved most interesting. The little 
glimpses of the homes and shops passed at 
this hour gave more of an insight into Japa- 
nese life than much daytime wandering, when 
the people were more confined to the labors 
of the day. Tokyo is said to cover one hun- 
dred square miles, and is the largest city of 
the East. A ride at night helps to make one 
realize its vast size. 

Sendai was the next stop, from which I 
visited Takayama and Matsushima. Taka- 



32 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

yama is a delightful cottage colony of 
foreigners on the coast, amid picturesque sur- 
roundings. It is six miles from the railway 
station, and the charge for the jinrikisha ride 
is thirty cents. A friend I expected to find 
here was absent, and I was compelled to ac- 
cept the hospitality of absolute strangers, but 
old friends could not have been more cordial 
or kindly. 

Matsushima is one of the " San-kei " or 
" Three Great Sights " of Japan. It is a 
large bay studded with tiny islands of vol- 
canic tufa of weird and fantastic shape, with 
pines as weird and fantastic as the islands 
themselves — a charming view — not unlike 
parts of Lake George. It is a beautiful spot, 
but too-enthusiastic tourists are often dis- 
appointed here, having been led to expect 
something very exceptional. One of the 
islands approached by a bridge has little 
shrines cut in the rock, and a path leading over 
it in the picturesque way so dear to the heart 
of the Japanese gardener. 

The two-day trip from Sendai to Sapporo 
was tiresome for the most part. The " ferry " 
from Aomori to Hakodate takes four and a 
half hours — the rest of the trip was by train. 

Hokkaido is of course much farther north 
than the rest of Japan and the climate is so 
much the cooler. It is not unlike New Eng- 
land in its trees, flowers and animal life, as 



JAPAN AND KOREA 33 

well as in its climate. The Japanese have 
only recently settled here in any great num- 
bers, and the villages and the whole char- 
acter of the country are by no means typical 
of Japan. The houses, for instance, are quite 
unlike the fragile houses further south, as 
they have to be built very strong to resist the 
biting cold and the snows of severe winters. 

Sapporo, the capital of the island, is not 
an old city, having been officially created in 
1870. It is well laid out, with unusually wide 
streets. On one of these streets I chanced on 
some policemen, leading four prisoners, who 
had inverted baskets over their heads to pre- 
serve them from the ignomy and disgrace of 
recognition. 

Mr. Rowland was anxious that I should 
see the Ainus, the aboriginal inhabitants of 
Japan. They are found now only in a few 
villages of Hokkaido, and are fast dying out: 
a few years will probably find them extinct. 
One of these villages is near Shiraoi. The 
Ainu men are short, like the Japanese, but 
more heavily built. Unlike the Japanese they 
are extremely hairy, and, with their full 
beards, are often very handsome. The 
women are far from handsome, as they tattoo 
the flesh for an inch around their mouths, ex- 
tending it up on their cheeks like a mustache. 
The effect is not very agreeable. Their 
houses are built almost entirely of thatch. In 



34 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

several cases we saw large cages built outside 
the house, with a young bear cub inside. 
These are kept and fattened, to be later killed 
for a feast of a semi-religious nature. 

From Shiraoi we continued to the hot 
springs of Nobori-betsu. This is a favorite 
bathing resort of the Japanese. There are the 
usual volcanic activities — a pool of boiling 
mud, spouting geysers, boiling springs, and an 
all-pervasive sulphur smell. The Japanese 
stand under streams of this water, which is 
actually boiling hot, and let it fall on their 
bare backs — it is impossible to understand 
how they can become so inured to it. 

Returning, we stopped to visit a Japanese 
preacher. The amount of kow-towing a 
Japanese missionary has to do is beyond be- 
lief. I have seen it kept up, slowly and de- 
liberately, for ten minutes. Surely a strong 
spine and tough knees must be one of the re- 
quirements ! 

The time at Sapporo passed pleasantly, and 
all too quickly. Returning to the main island, 
I stopped of! at Nikko, with its exquisite tem- 
ples. It is in itself a beauty spot — its chief 
glory, aside from the temples, being the mag- 
nificent cryptomerias, huge trees of wonderful 
proportions, on the order of our cedars. On 
leaving Nikko a seven-mile jinrikisha ride is 
taken down a cryptomeria avenue — it is one 
of the most beautiful sights of Nikko. 



JAPAN AND KOREA 35 

The temples have a setting of brilliant green, 
broken by imposing flights of broad stone 
stairs. Beside the temples there are numer- 
ous lanterns, of bronze and stone; many ex- 
quisite gateways with marvelous wood carv- 
ings; toriis of wood and stone, and a pagoda. 
The torii is the familiar Japanese gateway, 
which is always placed in front of Shinto 
temples. 

The temples all through Japan are much 
alike: a large space open on three sides, with 
the altar or image in a shrine on the fourth 
side. Those at Nikko are very large, and are 
unusual in that some of them are covered with 
red lacquer. It is always raining in Nikko, 
which accounts for the beautiful shade of the 
foliage. It also accounts for the fact that I 
was unable to make the trip to Lake Chu- 
zenji. 

The funeral of the Emperor — who, by the 
way, is never called the Mikado in Japan — 
was held on the thirteenth of September at 
Kyoto. Through the kindness of a friend I 
went with a Toyko school. At noon, in full 
evening dress, with a wide band of crepe 
around my hat, I walked with the school to 
the place designated for it on the line of march. 
The funeral was to start at eight o'clock at 
night, but it was necessary to come so early 
to reserve our places. The route to be fol- 
lowed by the cortege was lined with torches 



36 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

and with trees, from which long white 
streamers were hung. The police had given 
orders on every conceivable subject, from 
what to wear and where to stand to when to 
rise and what to eat ! One of the rules was 
that each person should have a mourning 
badge — many wore a little celluloid button 
with a picture of a black bow ! I saw one 
coolie stripped to the waist with a mourning 
band around his arm ! The rules ran into such 
detail as to make them ridiculous read- 
ing, but they served the purpose : the arrange- 
ments were admirable, and in spite of the 
enormous crowds there was no accident. My 
own costume was said to be absolutely obliga- 
tory for a foreigner, but never again do I ex- 
pect to wear evening dress in the daytime to a 
funeral. 

During the seven hours' wait there was 
much to attract the attention and help pass 
the time. At nightfall the torches were lit, 
and cast a bright but flickering light over the 
road. Shortly before eight the procession be- 
gan to pass us, and exactly on the hour a gun 
was fired, announcing that the cortege had left 
the palace. The first part of the procession 
consisted of soldiers and sailors, some of 
them from foreign countries, who passed by 
silently, with reversed arms. The road was 
covered with tan bark, and the procession 
passed almost without sound. The flickering 



JAPAN AND KOREA 37 

lights, and the vast number of men with their 
silent tread made an unusually impressive 
ceremony even of this part of this strange 
funeral. 

Then came the Shinto priests in flowing 
robes, carrying symbols, such as bows, quivers, 
shields, gongs, and the like. Several bands 
went by also, playing a dirge — adding to the 
weird effect by some shrill Japanese musi- 
cal instruments. Then came the catafalque, 
drawn by five oxen. The oxen were so sur- 
rounded by cow-herds that they could scarcely 
be seen. The catafalque was a wooden two- 
wheeled cart, not unlike an ice-wagon in ap- 
pearance. It was decorated, but the light 
was too dim to distinguish details. For an 
hour and a half after the passing of the 
catafalque the procession of soldiers con- 
tinued. 

On the way from Tokyo to Kyoto the train 
passes close to Fuji-yama. The mountain is a 
perfect cone, and is very beautiful — no won- 
der the Japanese love it. On the way down 
I amused myself with the Tokyo Puck. 
It is a comic paper published by Japanese in 
English. It had a remarkable editorial on 
the Emperor's death. The spirit of the edi- 
torial was sincere enough, but its expression 
left much to be desired, and as for its use of 
the " pnglirh " language — well, it speaks for 
itself. The type was evidently pied, to add 



38 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

to the trouble. The following is an exact 
copy : — 

TOKYO PUCK 

Tokyo, Ougust 20, 1912. 

CHEER UP 

Cheer up, friends ! True, our good and beloved 
empe ov is gone. But he is happiev in yondev 
ethersal height, at bast free from this awful heat 
of earthly summev. Besides dead, he is aleie doing 
an unexpected lot of good to the countug. 

Behoed! thue is that interesting practical jokey 
kno coming in all soberness to atteud the imperial 
effect of his neutralising scheme of a few years ago. 
Ond nothing short of the sad event could haye dene 
that. In death he conguereth indeed! 

Then there is a prowd prince of the pvoud hoase 
of Hohenzollern to represesent his proudev brothev 
in paying the last tribute to one who was once cari- 
catured as the sove and spirit of yellow peril! Of 
conse we mean it all will : this is ong mr pucki woy 
of soy it. 

Hey-ho ! Cheer up, lament not, f riwds ! Not down 
hue in this mundane worM. Rut up obove he 
shineth a light that illumines the hath of his eounty 
forevev. Theongh his death the voored has bocome 
more friendl to us. Even that young joiunal which, 
printed in pnglirh is pubhshei to serve continental 
pmposes, aud which calls reirlivg jafan indefeudeut 
journalism is paiynig tributee to the dead Sovoreign, 
thnikng it a good form! Of cowse it is not nwel 
of a comfliment to be spokew of well by a mer- 
cenwy sheet of the kind. But that a journal of the 
kind should deem it proper seven to obseve good 
form, is a most eloquent testimony that thereis some- 
thing realy great and holy in his memory. Cheer up, 
friends, a good understauding is coming. 



JAPAN AND KOREA 39 

Three days after the funeral there was an- 
other interesting ceremony in memory of the 
Emperor, but this one was Buddhist. The 
Nishi Hongwanji is a large Buddhist temple, 
the lower floor opening on three sides on a 
large porch. In the center of the fourth side 
was the shrine, lit by numerous tiny lamps and 
candles. On each side of the shrine were 
rooms, the decorations of the wall being solid 
gold relieved only by a brown kakemono and 
a spray of pine. In the center of the build- 
ing were four massive wooden pillars, sup- 
porting the roof. By these sat some priests, 
and the musicians. Behind, places were roped 
off for schoolgirls and dignitaries, and behind 
them again came the public. 

The priests began to file into the rooms at 
each side of the shrine. They were in gor- 
geous robes of changeable colors. The first 
had on a robe of salmon, red and gold. He 
was followed by others in royal purples, 
"greens, yellows and browns. They seated 
themselves on the floor, facing the shrine. 
The exquisite hues of their robes, with the 
background of pure gold, gave a most won- 
derful effect — it was as if a rare piece of 
Satsuma had come to life. Then priests of 
higher rank entered, who took seats nearer the 
shrine. The service was intoned, the priests 
rising and sitting often. At one time they 
walked to and fro in front of the shrines 



40 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

carrying books from which hung three long 
silk cords. They would tear out leaves — as 
prayers — and cast them on the floor. At the 
close of the service the various dignitaries 
filed past, made their obeisance to the shrine, 
and offered up incense. This service was far 
more interesting and picturesque than the 
funeral, though it lacked the eeriness given by 
the night and the flickering torches. 

There are many interesting buildings and 
temples in Kyoto. The San-ju-san-gen-do is 
unique. It is a temple to Kwannon, the god- 
dess of mercy, and contains 33,333 images of 
her. It is a low unimpressive building nearly 
four hundred feet long. In it are one thou- 
sand gilt statues of the goddess rising in five 
tiers one behind the other. The effect is 
startling, if not particularly artistic. In the 
hands of the figures are numerous small 
statues that make up the total number of 
representations of the goddess. In another 
building is a large Dai-butsu in wood. It 
shows the head and shoulders only, and is re- 
markable chiefly for size, being in no other 
way comparable to the one at Kamakura. 
The Yasaka Pagoda has five stories, but the 
climb is worth while on account of the 
splendid view of Kyoto to be seen from the 
top. Near the temple of Kiyomizu is a small 
shed covering a great many small stone images 



JAPAN AND KOREA 41 

of Jizo, each with a colored cloth bib and a 
pile of stones in its lap. Bereaved parents 
place these rocks here, in order to lessen the 
work of their children in the other world. 
A blessing is invoked by taking a dipper of 
water and splashing it all over the images, 
and it is interesting to watch the people — old 
and young, men, women and children — do 
this. 

From Kyoto to Miyajima the sleeper was 
truly amazing. Its price in the first place 
aroused my curiosity — what kind of a berth 
could I get for thirty cents? It was like a 
series of couches pushed end to end and run- 
ning the length of the car. When lying down 
your head was over the feet of the man be- 
hind you, and in turn your feet were under 
the head of the man ahead of you! There 
was a row of these berths on each side of the 
car, and above them rows of upper berths of 
the same kind. The space allotted may have 
been enough for the short Japanese, but for 
a fairly tall American they were not alto- 
gether satisfactory. By letting my feet drape 
in the aisle I secured a good night's rest, in 
spite of difficulties. 

At Miyajima the object of most interest is 
the elaborate torii. It is painted red, and at 
high tide, when its base is covered by water, 
is one of the most picturesque things to be 



42 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

seen in Japan. Near by is an interesting tem- 
ple and a little park that contains many 
doves, and a few tame deer. 

Much has been said of Japanese cleanli- 
ness. In person they are clean, but one has 
only to ride in a second-class Japanese coach 
to see how dirty they are in other ways. 
Built-in spittoons are most conspicuous in the 
center of the aisles, and form a constant 
stumbling block. The Japanese put every- 
thing on the floor of the train — bags and bun- 
dles of all kinds, teapots, ashes, sandals, 
fruit skins — everything, in fact, except their 
feet. At each station a diminutive boy 
comes in with a huge wet rag and washes off 
the floor, leaving it a little less encumbered, 
but decidedly moist and prone to gather dirt. 

It was a particularly beautiful moonlight 
night as I sailed from Shimonoseki. Lights 
twinkled on the shore, and everything was 
stilled. As the boat went on, a beautiful 
Fuji-like mountain sailed underneath the half 
moon. It was a fitting " sayonara " to Japan. 

But though the night began so auspiciously 
it did not continue so. The boat was small, 
and the passage was rough. The name of the 
boat — the ce Iki Maru " — was not exactly re- 
assuring. All night long the boat tossed and 
rolled. It kept me awake, and the words of 
a half- forgotten song kept running through 
my head : " I've got a motta, always merry 



JAPAN AND KOREA 43 

and bright," — " Cheer up, Cuthbert, you'll 
soon be dead " and the rest of the inanity, 
over and over again — but it helped to pass 
the time. 

Leaving Fusan the next morning a long 
train ride brought me to Seoul that night. 
Korea is now called Cho-sen by the Japanese. 
The Korean men dress in a long robe of stiff 
thin material reaching to the knees, and fas- 
tened by a large bow on the right breast. In 
color it is usually white, but may be a pale 
shade of pink, blue, or green. Under this is 
a white shirt, and full white trousers gathered 
at the ankles, with shoes of wood shaped like 
a canoe. On their head they wear a hat of 
stiff black cloth — the exact duplicate of wire 
screening — with a wide brim of the same ma- 
terial. A tiny pig-tail fastened into a knot 
on top of their heads shows through the hat, 
and the resemblance to a mouse in a trap is too 
strong not to be noticed immediately. The 
hat is held in place by two shoe strings that 
tie under the chin, the ends falling to their 
waist. Their beards are downy and meager, 
and the hat strings make them look longer 
than they really are. Add to this a pipe with 
a stem a yard long, and you have the complete 
picture of the Korean. 

The women's costume is also odd. Their 
dress is open horizontally in front, exposing 
the breasts, and they wear long coats of 



44 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

bright colors, which — though they have 
sleeves — are always worn over the head with 
the arms flapping at the sides. One sees in- 
numerable naked children with abdomens 
that are almost spherical — caused by a dis- 
ease, it is said, traceable to a rice diet. 

At Seoul by far the most interesting things 
were the natives themselves. They are ab- 
solutely different from the Japanese, and are 
a never- failing source of interest and amuse- 
ment. No comic opera would dare bring out a 
chorus dressed in real Korean clothes — they 
would be hooted off the stage for being so un- 
true and unrealistic! 

The old North palace, which has not been 
used since the queen was murdered there in 
1895, is magnificent though falling into ruin. 
The death of a member of the royal family al- 
ways necessitated a new palace — the old one 
was desecrated. Walking in a straight line 
from the main gateway, one goes through 
court and palace in endless succession. The 
courts are stone paved, but have fallen into 
such a ruinous state that in one of them they 
were actually cutting the grass. Many of the 
gateways are exceptionally beautiful — the 
wood carving and tile work being particularly 
attractive. At one side, surrounded by a moat 
filled with pond lilies, stood a beautiful build- 
ing called the " Banqueting Hall," but said to 
have been a hall for ceremonial dancing. 



JAPAN AND KOREA 45 



The tomb of the murdered queen lies outside 
the town, and shows the arrangement typical 
of Chinese tombs, with some interesting carved 
stone figures. 

The trip from Seoul to Mukden takes 
seventeen hours. A fine new bridge crosses 
the Yalu, which is the boundary line between 
Korea and Manchuria. One wonders how 
long it will be before the Japanese have 
control of Manchuria also. 



Chapter IV 

CHINA 

On crossing the Yalu it becomes apparent at 
once that you are in China, for all of the na- 
tives are dressed in blue. This blue clothing 
seems to be universal in China, though of 
course it is much more prevalent in some parts 
of the country than it is in others. 

At Mukden it is necessary — in order to 
visit the palace — to procure a pass from your 
Consul. The American Consul lived in an 
artistic old house — formerly a temple — with 
much around that was quaint and curious. 
The palace in itself was not particularly in- 
teresting, but contained a marvelous collec- 
tion of old porcelain, and some valuable old 
embroideries. 

Mukden is a dirty city, with two wide 
streets meeting at right angles, a three-story 
tower standing at the junction. The Man- 
chus — for of course we are in Manchuria — 
are fine specimens of manhood; big, husky 
fellows entirely unlike the small Chinese of the 
South. Once it was necessary to change a 
film in my camera. I was immediately sur- 
rounded by a large gaping crowd — perfectly 
quiet, but tremendously interested. A uni- 
46 




MUKDEN, MANCHURIA. 

A Street Scene. 

The Residence of the American Consul. 



CHINA 47 



formed policeman came hustling importantly 
up, but instead of dispersing the crowd he 
joined it, taking advantage of his authority to 
get a front place. To the passing tourist the 
principal business here seems to be hog deal- 
ing — never have I seen so many hogs. On 
the streets are many butcher shops, and in 
front of each lie a dozen or so fat porkers, 
their feet tied together, awaiting their turn 
for execution. Two Manchus were carrying 
a dressed carcass down the street — some- 
thing broke, and the body rolled through the 
dirt of the street. It did not increase one's 
appetite for pork. 

The railway trip from Mukden to Peking 
had to be broken at Shan-hai-kwan, unless 
a special train is taken that runs only once a 
week. At Shan-hai-kwan the Great Wall 
meets the sea, but reference to this will be 
made later. 

As the train reached Peking late at night, 
the magnificent wall and gateways made a 
wonderful silhouette in the moonlight. The 
walls of Peking are in some respects more 
impressive than the Great Wall itself, as they 
are considerably larger. The walls of the 
Tartar City are thirteen miles long, while 
those of the Chinese City, immediately to the 
south, must be nearly half that length. 
These walls are forty feet high, and are ex- 
tremely well built. The road on the top is 



48 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

twenty feet wide, and from it splendid views of 
the city can be obtained. 

Peking is unattractive for the most part. 
The main streets are very wide, but extremely 
dusty and dirty. The Legation Quarter, 
which has been enlarged since the Boxer re- 
bellion, resembles in its architecture a Con- 
tinental city, and is by far the handsomest part 
of town — with the possible exception of the 
Forbidden City, which few foreigners are al- 
lowed to enter. 

There are many ancient temples in Peking. 
Some of them might be exceedingly beautiful, 
but they are absolutely spoiled by the fact 
that the surroundings are neglected and un- 
cared for, and the temples themselves are 
dilapidated and filthily dirty. The Chinese 
will soon learn, as the Japanese already have, 
that it will pay, from a purely utilitarian 
standpoint, to take better care of their crum- 
bling monuments, in the increased number of 
tourists drawn thereby. 

The Altar and Temple of Heaven are in 
a large park-like enclosure in the Chinese 
city. The Altar consists of three white marble 
terraces, of which the lowest one is over two 
hundred feet wide. The balustrades and 
much of the stone work is beautifully carved. 
The Temple of Heaven stands on a similar 
series of terraces, and is a round building with 
an ancient blue tiled roof. The interior is 




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CHINA 49 



impressive, on account of its huge teak-wood 
columns. 

The Llama Temple is in the northern part 
of the Tartar City. The Llamas are a sect 
of Buddhist priests or monks, and wear the 
same yellow robes that were later to be seen 
in Burma and Ceylon. A service witnessed 
here was not unlike the Buddhist ceremony 
seen at Kyoto, though it was by no means so 
elaborate or picturesque. The temple itself 
was an old royal palace. Near by is the Tem- 
ple of the Great Buddha. This dilapidated 
and dirty building contains a figure of Buddha 
in wood, gaudily painted, and is remarkable 
for its height of seventy feet rather than for 
any artistic value. The Temple of Confucius 
is also near. In its Hall of Classics are copies 
of the Chinese classics carved in stone, in 
order to make sure of their preservation for 
future generations. In the courtyard of the 
temple is a pailow, a thin gateway of three 
flat arches, of bright green and yellow tiles 
contrasted with white marble, one of the most 
beautiful of its kind in China. The Summer 
Palace was unfortunately not open to visitors 
during my brief stay in Peking. 

The tombs of the Emperors of the Ming 
dynasty — or the Ming Tombs, as they are 
generally called — can be reached from Nan- 
kow, a little north of Peking, by ponies, or in 
a sedan chair. By pony the trip took six and 



50 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

a half hours. The trail led across land ap- 
parently barren, but in reality producing quite 
a little. Among other things I noticed corn, 
peanuts, and persimmon trees. A large and 
very beautifully carved white marble pailow 
with five openings marked the beginning of 
the " Holy Way," which continued over the 
country for miles to the tombs. After the 
pailow, but some distance beyond it, was a 
monument to one of the Ming Emperors, a 
building containing- a stone shaft resting on 
the back of a gigantic stone tortoise. Im- 
mediately after this came the avenue of an- 
imals, in pairs, one on each side of the road, 
the first pair kneeling and the second stand- 
ing. They represented lions, rams, camels, 
elephants, fabulous animals, and horses, all 
carved from large blocks of stone. After 
these came various officials and priests, all 
standing, also carved from single blocks. The 
" Holy Way " continued for some distance 
beyond these, its outlines at times being 
scarcely discernible. Here it would be 
marked by a broken marble bridge — further 
on by a piece of pavement, but finally no traces 
of it remained. In the distance the tombs 
could be seen, picturesquely situated at the 
foot of the mountains. They were not very 
near each other, and an inspection of them 
all would take several days; so the tourist 
must be content with inspecting one. The 




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CHINA 51 



Tomb of Yung-Loh is typical, and is one of 
the largest and best preserved; and therefore 
is the one usually visited. The principal pavil- 
ion of this tomb was a huge hall two hundred 
feet long and half as wide, with many solid 
teak-wood pillars sixty feet high supporting 
the roof. At the rear of this pavilion was a 
large quadrangle, which led on the other side 
to a passage opening on a terrace, said to be 
directly above the real tomb, from which there 
was an extensive view of the country just 
passed through. 

The Great Wall is reached from Nankow 
by a railway which continues on to Kalgan. 
But the wall can be seen in all its glory at 
the Nankow Pass, near the station of Ching- 
lung Chiao. The pass is in the heart of the 
mountains, and is one of the main arteries 
into Peking from Mongolia. At Kalgan is 
another and outer wall, which is nearer the 
boundary between the two countries. 

Pictures of the Great Wall give little idea 
of its impressiveness. Imagine a wall avera- 
ging twenty-seven feet in height and thirty in 
width, extending for two thousand five hun- 
dred miles over the country — not passing 
along the plains, but seeking the very hilliest 
places. It is older than the Christian era. 
Most of the wall near the Nankow pass is 
in excellent condition. Starting at the gate- 
way of the pass, the walls rise easily and 



52 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

gracefully in both directions, twisting, turning, 
and disappearing, to reappear on a higher 
crest, and again on a taller mountain behind, 
as far as the eye can see. About every six 
hundred yards there is a watch tower jutting 
out from the wall, and relieving what might 
be otherwise a monotonous line. An Ameri- 
can army officer told me that the wall is re- 
markable in that it always makes use of the 
" military crest " — in other words that it 
takes advantage of the formation of the 
ground so that an attacking army must climb 
a hill before reaching the wall itself. 

At Shan-hai-kwan, mentioned before, the 
wall was similar, but not so well preserved. 
I had asked an Englishman there how the 
Chinese guarded the wall, saying that they 
must have had watchers in the towers, who 
telephoned back to Peking at the approach of 
the enemy. " Oh," he answered, " but they 
didn't have telephones in those days." 

A camel and donkey caravan passed through 
the massive gateway. There was nothing 
about it indicative of modern civilization: 
caravans similar to it have been passing 
through that gateway every day for two thou- 
sand years ! 

At the pass the foundations of the wall and 
the first ten feet of the superstructure are of 
large dressed granite blocks. Above these the 
walls are made of sun-dried bricks, about four 





CHING-LUNG CHIAO, CHINA. 
The Great Wall. 



CHINA 53 



times the size of one of our bricks, and very 
heavy. A Chinaman took three of these huge 
bricks with him, saying he wanted them for 
his garden in Canton. He was dressed in 
European clothes, but his companion wore a 
gorgeous costume of heavy brocaded silk. 
The pa jama-like trousers were light lavender 
in color, the coat a dark blue, and the sleeve- 
less jacket over that a plum black. 

At Peking and throughout the northern part 
of China the pig-tail was very much in 
evidence. At Shanghai it was rarer, and in 
Hong Kong and Canton it had practically dis- 
appeared. It is the symbol of the Manchu 
dynasty, and the absence of it in the South 
seems to show that the Republic is more 
popular there than it is in the North. 

The trip from Peking to Hankow by rail 
is a fascinating one through the heart of 
China. Strangely, the management of the 
road is French — even the time-tables are 
published in French. The trip takes forty 
hours on a special train running once a week. 

On arriving at Hankow I jumped in a rick- 
shaw (resembling the Japanese jinrikisha, but 
heavy and clumsy), and told the coolie to take 
me to the Terminus Hotel. He looked blank, 
but started off at full speed — running for at 
least fifteen minutes. By this time I had be- 
come fully convinced that he did not know 
where I wanted to go, but as I knew of no 



54 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

way to tell him, I thought it best to let him 
continue. Finally we stopped in front of a 
fine white house set well back among the trees, 
but without a sign of any kind. I felt sure 
it was not the hotel, but approached a short 
energetic young Englishman descending the 
path, and said: 

" Pardon me, but is this the Terminus 
Hotel?" 

It did not take long to see that I had made 
a grievous mistake. * His eyes flashed, and he 
drew himself up very dramatically and in- 
dignantly exclaimed: 

" No ! This is the British Consulate." 

Not till I reached the hotel did I realize 
the magnitude of my crime ! 

A short stay here sufficed to see the Bund 
— a street running along the edge of the Yang- 
tse-kiang — and the other sights of the town. 
Boarding a Chinese boat named the " Sui-wo," 
we sailed down the river for two days to 
Nanking. At Kiu-kiang the boat stopped for 
four hours, giving a splendid chance to visit 
this squalid Chinese town. A boy who spoke 
English a little — a very little — constituted 
himself my guide, and led me to some of the 
temples. They were not interesting, but the 
life of the people was very much so. Once, 
in a street running between two high walls, 
I almost stumbled on a leper. He had cast 
himself on the ground in the narrowest part 



CHINA 55 



of the street, and his great open sores, ter- 
rible deformities, and whining pleas were all 
equally horrible. 

Continuing down the Yang-tse-kiang, it was 
amusing to see the Chinese board our boat 
from little craft waiting in the river, while we 
were still in motion. The excitement ran high 
at times, but large cargoes, both of passengers 
and freight, were changed amidstream with- 
out mishap. 

The shore north of the river was a dull 
flat plain as far as the eye could see — in 
great contrast to the southern shore, which 
was very mountainous, the mountains often 
extending to the edge of the river. 

At Nanking the carriage drivers have a bat- 
tle over every passenger, and it was with dif- 
ficulty I finally procured one and reached the 
Bridge House Hotel. This little hotel, though 
very unpretentious, was remarkably clean, and 
the food good. 

Nanking was formerly a huge city, with a 
wall nearly as long as that of Peking. But 
now the greater part of the ground within 
the wall is farm land or forest. The little that 
is left of the city is huddled at one end, about 
five miles from the hotel. 

Here the old examination halls are still 
standing — they have been destroyed at Pe- 
king and Canton — and I was very glad to get 
a glimpse of them. It is only a matter of 



56 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

a short time before these will be destroyed 
also. The halls consist of thousands of tiny 
cells arranged in rows, with a large central 
tower for watchers. The cells are only about 
two feet square, and have two shelves, one 
for a seat and the other for a desk. Twenty- 
five thousand people could be examined at 
once. It is said that they were sealed in these 
tiny rooms for days, and if a death occurred 
— as not infrequently happened — it was nec- 
essary to break down the wall to remove the 
body. 

Walking on the old wall, I saw in the fields 
below a boy in a filthy pool of water, hunting 
for lotus root with his feet. On finding a 
root he would dive down in this slimy water, 
remain submerged for alarming periods at 
times, and then would come up puffing and 
blowing, the root in his hand. 

Here also I met two soldiers, who led me, 
though we could not communicate by speech, 
through the fields to their camp. A sign near 
it said: 

" NO ADMITTANCE. HERE IS MAGAZINE." 

but they led on ; so I followed. At the " maga- 
zine " I met more soldiers who inspected me 
carefully, examining my camera and clothes. 
They offered me tea to drink, which I had to 
accept, though it was far from tempting. To 



CHINA 57 



be frank, I think I afforded them as much 
amusement as they did me. 

At Shanghai, though it is a beautiful city, 
there is comparatively little for the tourist to 
see, if he is looking for Chinese life and cus- 
toms. But if one had to live in the East, 
Shanghai must be very attractive. The best 
English newspaper in the East is published 
here, and you are in constant touch with 
Europe and America. Shanghai has one 
famous sight, though — the largest bar in the 
world ! 

The adjacent Chinese part of the city is 
very interesting, and a trip through the streets 
with their ivory, wood, and other shops is 
well worth while. 

Taking the " Bulow" to Hong Kong, in 
three days we entered that beautiful harbor. 
The city of Victoria — Hong Kong being 
really the name of the island — rises from the 
water's edge on terrace after terrace until the 
famous " Peak " is reached. This peak, 
though not very high, has a funicular road 
leading to the top, and commands a splendid 
view of the harbor and surroundings of Hong 
Kong. In summer it is used as a place of 
residence by the foreigners in Hong Kong. 

Canton is a few hours' journey up the Pearl 
River. It presents typical Chinese life — the 
kind that you expected to see before you left 



58 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

home, and failed to find in Peking. Here is a 
very kaleidoscope of colors. The streets are 
narrow, with many steps : the houses are for 
the most part two stories high, with forbid- 
ding walls, but occasionally an open door gives 
a vista of an attractive garden within. Most 
of the streets are lined with tiny shops, which 
sell almost everything. Great gaudy banners 
of all colors, a foot wide and yards long, with 
Chinese characters, hang from the upper 
stories. On bright days the street is spotted 
and flecked with sunshine, and the coloring is 
fascinating. One sees all kinds of Chinese — 
men in gorgeous robes, others in plain ones, 
and coolies stripped to the waist, their brown 
arms and necks glistening in the occasional 
sunbeam. All are eager, all busy, all quick 
without undue haste. Women there are too, 
but by no means as many. I had expected a 
gloomy, forbidding people of threatening as- 
pect — instead I found a happy, smiling peo- 
ple, content in their own way of life, but 
mightily curious about yours. The narrow 
streets and many steps prevent the use of car- 
riages or even of rickshaws; so sedan chairs 
carried by four to six coolies have to be used 
if you do not care to walk. It was, to me, by 
far the most fascinating of the Chinese cities. 
The Shameen is the foreign residence sec- 
tion of Canton. On an island connected with 
the city by two guarded bridges rise foreign 



CHINA 59 



buildings in a delightful setting of semi- 
tropical trees and shrubs. The Bund here, 
with its beautiful overhanging shade trees on 
the water's edge, is most attractive. On the 
side toward Canton is an " entanglement " of 
barbed wire, and sand-bag barriers are in some 
of the principal streets. They make one real- 
ize that while all may seem peaceful and quiet, 
the resident foreigners are always ready to be 
on the defensive if necessary. On returning 
a stop was made at the Portuguese settlement 
of Macao. Won by the Portuguese while at 
the height of their power, and commercially 
still valuable, it has degenerated to a gambling 
and opium den. The boat arrived at one 
o'clock in the morning, and the Chinese 
made a terrible noise while disembarking. 
Thoroughly aroused, I could not get to sleep, 
and finally decided to dress and visit the town, 
though it was nearly three. Facing the boat 
was a three-story building covered with elec- 
tric lights, and there were many like it in other 
streets. These were all gambling halls, and 
it was interesting to watch the Chinese in 
them. At Macao are opium factories also. 
The drug has been excluded from China, but 
the Chinese can come here and get it. 

.Macao is beautifully situated, and in the 
daytime has a quaint old-world charm, like a 
breath from a fragrant garden. It is so ab- 
solutely different from the Chinese cities you 



6o GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

have been visiting, that it is a great surprise. 
It seems more as if you were in Portugal than 
China, and the Portuguese policemen add to 
the illusion. All that is left standing of the 
old Cathedral is the facade, and a flight of 
massive stone steps. This fagade shows an 
incongruous combination of Renaissance archi- 
tecture with Chinese symbols. But at night- 
fall the charm of Macao is dissipated, and it 
becomes again a den of gambling and vice. 
Shopping in Hong Kong and Canton is a 
great pleasure, but here is a timely word, 
copied verbatim, from a guide book: 

HINTS ON SELECTING AND PURCHASING 

This is one of the most fascinating experiences of 
the visitor to this City of curio shops where, owing 
to the perfect novelty of the scene sudden flights of 
reason are at times apt to leave fancy sole mistress of 
the situation, and, through her inaptitude for the re- 
sponsibilities, one discovers too late, how much bet- 
ter bargains might have been made. 



Chapter V 

MANILA 

The Yellow Sea is one of the roughest bodies 
of water on the globe, and the trip from Hong 
Kong to Manila and back had long been 
dreaded. I had to take a tiny boat — the 
" Tean " ; on a large boat the trip is bad 
enough — on a small one it is absolute misery. 

A few hours before reaching Manila the 
boat stopped at Merivales, to leave the steer- 
age passengers. As there had been consider- 
able cholera in China, they were compelled 
to remain here a week before being allowed 
to enter the islands. As soon as they landed 
they and their belongings were fumigated, and 
it was amusing to see the Chinese get back 
into their clothes, their pig-tails untied and 
hanging down their backs. 

Manila is not an old Filipino village, but 
was built by the Spaniards. The walls en- 
close a space of about two square miles, and 
this part of town is called " Intramuros," or 
the walled city. The houses are well built, 
and the streets clean. There are no less than 
ten cathedrals here, all of them old, and some 
quite beautiful. The wall has been broken 
down in places, to make wider entrances to 
61 



62 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

the town, and to admit trolleys. Formerly 
there was a moat outside the walls, but this 
has been filled in, and part of it made into a 
broad boulevard. The walls, with an oc- 
casional sentry box jutting out from them, are 
very picturesque, and form one of the strik- 
ing features of Manila. 

Just outside the walls is the Luneta, a large 
open parkway. Band concerts are given here 
almost every evening at sunset, and great 
crowds, composed of all classes, come here at 
that time to hear the music and have a little 
social intercourse after the heat of the day. 
The new Manila hotel stands on one side of 
the Luneta, and the Army and Navy Club on 
the other. 

From the Luneta a broad avenue lined with 
beautiful trees leads past the walled city to 
the Pasig River. On the other side of the 
river is the distinctly business section of the 
town. The river itself is filled with odd craft, 
many of them being house boats, and each one 
has a vociferous rooster on its roof. 

The natives of Manila seem to have a large 
percentage of Spanish blood. The girls have 
pretty coloring, and wear brightly colored 
waists of stiff grass cloth, with enormous 
sleeves. The men wear a pa jama-like coat 
that looks most cool and comfortable to the 
collared foreigner. 

The heat was intense in the daytime, but 




MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 
Street Scenes. 



MANILA 63 



after the extreme cold of Shanghai it was very 
welcome. But it did not tend to make one 
energetic; and as I had been traveling pretty 
strenuously I decided to take matters more 
easily here. 

The main beast of burden is the carabao, 
or water buffalo. They are large, lumbering 
creatures and move slowly, but are everywhere 
used. 

It is very common here to see a man walk- 
ing along the street carrying a rooster, for 
cock-fighting is the great sport of the country. 
The fights are held in round buildings of fair 
size, with a small arena in the center, and 
seats rising in circles around it. One section 
of these seats is reserved for the Chinese. 
Cruel-looking razor-edged blades are fastened 
to the rooster's gaff, and after the bets are 
placed the fight begins. While the waits be- 
tween rounds are long, the rounds themselves 
are usually short. They are over so quickly 
that there is little pleasure in watching them, 
for it seems more like a butcher shop than a 
sport. But the natives show great enthusiasm. 

One of the most interesting things in Manila 
is a drill to be witnessed every day at Bilibid 
Prison. In the center of the prison is a 
covered stand, with the various buildings 
radiating from it. All the prisoners — about 
twenty-eight thousand when I was there — can 
be seen from this stand at the time of the 



64 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

drill. To the music of a prison band — which 
played remarkably well — they marched in 
fours from their respective buildings. Sud- 
denly the band played " The Star Spangled 
Banner," and the entire body of men saluted 
while the flag was being lowered. It was 
strangely impressive. After the salute they 
went through various calisthenic exercises, 
and then formed again and marched past the 
kitchen, each man receiving beef stew and a 
mess of rice. 

On Hallowe'en an all-night ceremony is 
held at Paco cemetery. In this cemetery the 
dead are not buried in the ground, but are 
placed in niches in the thick double walls 
which surround it. The relatives of the de- 
ceased keep watch near the tomb all night. 
Many and strange were the decorations. The 
whole place was brilliantly lighted by elec- 
tricity. But the ceremony seemed to be de- 
generating into a holiday merry-making fes- 
tival. 

On the trip up the Pasig River and through 
Lake Laguna to Los Banos one passes many 
interesting native villages. The houses are 
made of nipa, thatched, and many of them 
stand on bamboo poles. At one village a boy 
boarded the boat selling hard-boiled eggs. I 
bought one, but I did not eat it. An unde- 
veloped chicken had almost complete posses- 
sion of the interior ! Later I learned that this 



MANILA 65 



is called an " old egg," and is considered a 
great delicacy by the Filipino. Los Banyos 
is noted for its hot sulphur baths. 

But no description of Manila would be com- 
plete without a mention of its glorious sunsets. 
Imagine yourself on the Luneta at sundown, 
a gentle breeze coming in from the bay. In 
the distance the band is playing. The sky is 
a marvelous red that is reflected in the waters 
of the bay. Toward the right and left distant 
lofty palms are silhouetted against the bril- 
liant coloring of the sky, while directly in front 
may come a stray light from the island of 
Corregidor. Slowly the red turns to a deep 
orange, and then the sun sinks behind the 
horizon in a burst of golden glory. Surely 
these sunsets are the islands' greatest beauty. 



Chapter VI 

SINGAPORE AND JAVA 

It took four days on the " Prins Eitel" to 
go from Hong Kong to Singapore. Here you 
come in contact with a black race ; and dirty, 
skinny, ugly people do they look at first, after 
the clean, small, but well-proportioned Chinese. 
Not that the Chinese are left behind now — on 
the contrary, they are very much in evidence, 
especially as rickshaw runners. But from 
here on you see them in decreasing numbers, 
and it is with regret that you see them pass. 

The population of Singapore is very mixed. 
Malays and Chinese predominate, but natives 
from all parts of India, Ceylon, Java and Siam 
are often seen. 

Although Singapore is within two degrees 
of the equator it is not so hot as might be 
expected, and the climate varies little. In this 
it has the advantage of the cities of India. 
Its public buildings are substantial and im- 
posing, and " Raffles Square " and other parts 
of the city are attractive. The inevitable Eng- 
lish botanical garden is present, but cannot 
compare with the gardens of Java or Ceylon. 

The carabao of Manila is here displaced by 
the zebu, with its peculiar hump and twisted 
66 



SINGAPORE AND JAVA 67 

horns, which the natives often paint in bright 
colors. 

The market, with its native fruits and other 
products, and its native salesmen was worth a 
visit. In a big wicker basket I noticed a 
chicken that was having a glorious time peck- 
ing at all its mates. The owner noticed it too, 
and nonchalantly lifted the chick from the 
basket, broke its lower bill with his thumb, 
and threw it back. 

A short train trip through large rubber 
plantations brings one to the little principality 
of Johore, where one can visit the palace of the 
reigning prince. He was educated abroad, 
and his palace is a curious mixture of foreign 
and native ideas. 

At the hotels the beds are remarkable, in 
that they have only a lower sheet, with no 
cover of any kind, unless the " Dutch Wife " 
can be so considered. It is a soft round 
bolster-like object about four feet long, and 
lies lengthwise on the bed, but the manner of 
utilizing it is rather perplexing, and remains 
ever a mystery to the tourist. The bath-room 
has a huge jardiniere for a tub, about four feet 
across and correspondingly deep, which is filled 
with water. But do not make the mistake of 
trying to get into it — you must simply splash 
water from it over yourself with the aid of a 
small tin bucket. 

The " Reijniersz " — these Dutch names are 



68 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

almost as unpronounceable as the Russian — 
took but two days to go from Singapore to 
Tanjand-Priok, the port of Batavia in Java. 
At Batavia the heat was intense, but further 
back in the mountains it was very comfortable. 
During the week I was in Java — and that is 
by no means long enough for this interesting 
island — it rained constantly for the first four 
days, but by mistake gave three fairly clear 
days after that. It always rains in Java — 
not showers, but heavy downpours — except 
perhaps during the month of May. 

Batavia is divided into two parts. The 
southern part is the business section, and the 
northern part, called Weltvreden, is the resi- 
dential section. Through the middle of the 
city, on the main street, runs a canal, supposed 
to resemble those of Holland — for Java, of 
course, has long been under the control of 
the Dutch. In these canals the natives bathe, 
and wash their horses and their clothes. 
Little one-horse carriages, in which the pas- 
senger has to sit riding backward, abound. 
They are easy to get in and out of, and are 
cheap, even if they are not particularly com- 
fortable. 

Buitenzorg is a short train ride from 
Weltvreden. Here are the famous botanical 
gardens, said to be the finest in the world, 
and especially noted for their collection of 
orchids. The gardens were lovely, and the 



SINGAPORE AND JAVA 69 

trees and tree-ferns magnificent, but apprecia- 
tion was dulled by steady, heavy rain. Here 
a boy brought me a leaf — I glanced at it but 
saw nothing unusual. As he persisted I 
looked at it again, and found that it was not 
a leaf at all, but an insect — a perfect repro- 
duction of a leaf. The hotel here is beauti- 
fully situated on a cliff near the river, but we 
had to take the view on faith, as it was com- 
pletely hidden by the rain. 

At luncheon they served a " rice table." 
This is a dish famous in Java, and it con- 
stitutes a whole meal. A deep soup plate is 
placed in front of you, and then various edi- 
bles are passed in bewildering succession. I 
can by no means remember all the dishes — 
there must have been over thirty — but some 
of them were hash balls, preserves, poached 
eggs, curry, jam, shrimps and other fish, 
" Irish " stew, and chicken, fried, boiled and 
fricasseed! The resultant concoction was re- 
markable, but it was also very good. 

At Garoet the bad weather continued, and 
prevented me from taking the " Papandayan " 
trip, the crater of one of the volcanoes with 
which the island abounds. But I did not see 
a single volcano while in Java, on account of 
the low clouds. 

At a native theater here the actors wore 
huge masks much like the faces made fa- 
miliar by their drawings and carvings. The 



70 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

" dancing " was mostly posturing, with 
elaborate arm and finger motions, and a little 
rather vulgar by-play among the clowns com- 
pleted the performance. 

While at Garoet a large market was held, 
and it gave an unusual opportunity to study 
the natives. The women wear sarongs, pieces 
of cloth about three by eight feet, and sewed 
together at the ends. These have elaborately 
wrought designs, all done by hand, and are 
dyed deep shades of brown, orange, and red, 
and sometimes of blue. The men wear 
sarongs that are not sewed together, and have 
on their heads turbans made out of square 
pieces of cloth of similar color and design. 
It is interesting to see these sarongs being 
designed. The women are artists, and draw 
most elaborate designs free hand. 

One of the native musical instruments is 
made of bamboo, and is very crude. But as 
played by a band of boys, each holding two 
of these instruments of different sizes and 
tones, the effect is quite musical, even if a 
small one by itself does sound like a tinkling 
ice-water pitcher. 

At the hotel one of my eggs was bad — 
there was no doubt about it. The manager 
apologized for it afterwards, by saying : " I 
am sorry that the egg was not very well." 

The trip from Garoet to Djokjakarta took 
all day. No trains travel at night in Java, and 



SINGAPORE AND JAVA 71 

no matter in what part of the island you are 
the train you must take starts at daybreak. 
At one station it was necessary to add another 
car to our train. They uncoupled the last 
car, but no one had put on the brakes, and it 
rolled down the track for three miles. It took 
over an hour to get that wandering car back. 

The most distinctive feature of the land- 
scape are the rice fields. They extend in all 
directions, not only in the valleys, but also 
climbing the mountain in picturesque terraces, 
some of which are only a foot or two wide. 
Rice can only grow in water, and the sparkle 
of the water, the new green shoots of the rice, 
the extensive terraces, and the luxurious tropi- 
cal jungles form the greater part of the beauty 
of the scenery of the island. 

Near Djokjakarta — or Dojkja, as it is 
usually called — are the ruins of the temple 
of Prambanan. The temples though small, 
are distinctive, and are covered with carvings 
that show a high degree of artistic ability. 

Returning from Prambanan by auto, a 
broken bridge halted us. We crossed it safely 
on foot, and then had to go to a near-by house 
to telephone for another vehicle. It proved 
to be the home of a wealthy sugar planter, 
who received us cordially. A servant brought 
out cigars and refreshments, and kneeled to 
each one of us as he offered them, as every 
well-trained Javanese must. 



J2 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

The question of the treatment of the na- 
tives by a conquering nation is too big to be 
discussed here, but the Dutch seem to have 
solved it successfully. The natives are well 
treated and have a share in the government, 
but are constantly reminded that they are an 
inferior race, who must show obedience and 
respect to their conquerors. The Far-East- 
erners are much like children — where they 
are kindly but firmly treated they show the 
greatest respect for their " parents." The 
policy of equality introduced by Americans in 
the Philippines — although absolutely correct 
according to American principles — is entirely 
unfit for these people, as yet. Perhaps some 
day they may " grow up," but they will surely 
be spoilt children if present conditions con- 
tinue. 

The Sultan's palace at Djokja is disappoint- 
ing, in that the beautiful native industries of 
the island are largely ignored, and the rooms 
are furnished with Early Victorian orna- 
ments — perhaps of great value but certainly 
of doubtful beauty. Some of the rooms of 
the palace furnished throughout in native style 
were attractive. The Sultan is extremely fond 
of cock-fighting, and has about a hundred 
game cocks. Each of these has its personal 
attendant, and it is amusing to watch a lot of 
self-important game cocks strutting around 




rt 



SINGAPORE AND JAVA 73 

the grounds with a native boy following each 
of them. 

Boro-boedoer is a massive ruin near Djokja, 
and the most interesting building on the island. 
It was built in the eighth or ninth century, 
when Java was under control of the Buddhists. 
It covers as much ground as the Great 
Pyramid of Gizeh. It is a low stepped 
pyramid, the steps forming four or five wide 
balconies extending on all sides of the struc- 
ture. These are decorated with ornamental 
balustrades : and the whole stonework — 
almost every inch of it, is decorated in low 
bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the life of 
Buddha. The architecture and carvings show 
the very advanced civilization of that day. 
Surmounting the structure is a bell-shaped 
dagoba that is surrounded by smaller dagobas 
of heavy open stone work, in each of which 
can be seen a statue of Buddha. On each side 
of the structure is a stairway leading to the 
top. The stone is a dark gray, adding to the 
dignity and impressiveness of the building. 

Returning to Djokja, I was attracted by a 
large crowd on the street. Joining them, and 
waiting for a long while, I was finally re- 
warded by a view of a native wedding. It 
was a long procession. The first carriage was 
on the order of a victoria. It was gaily 
decorated, and was drawn by four horses. In 



74 ' GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

the back sat the bride and groom, who did 
not seem to feel any keen enjoyment over the 
proceedings. The bride's neck, arms and 
shoulders were bare, and were painted a bright 
yellow. She had an elaborately bejeweled 
headdress, with large earrings. The groom 
was stripped to the waist, and all the exposed 
flesh was painted a darker yellow. He had 
elaborate earrings, and a gorgeous skirt. On 
the seat facing them-sat an elderly woman with 
two small children. The procession consisted 
of thirty or more carriages, filled with guests 
in their wedding finery. It kept passing up 
and down the main street for some time. I 
asked the object of this, and was told it was 
simply to advertise the marriage. 

A hasty trip back to Batavia, and then on 
to Singapore again. Here I had to wait a few 
days before leaving for the north — days 
which I should rather have spent in Java, but 
the sailing dates would not allow it. 



Chapter VII 

FROM SINGAPORE TO CALCUTTA 

The chief excitement of the trip from Singa- 
pore to Rangoon on the " Torilla " was a 
waterspout. Though far away, it could be 
plainly seen, a long, bending, swerving line of 
water joining sea and sky. 

An unusually congenial crowd was on 
board, and the time passed quickly. Among 
others was a Mrs. Butler from Boston, and 
her three daughters, who might have posed 
for the originals of " Pitti-sing, Peep-bo, and 
Yum-yum." Later I had the pleasure of 
traveling with them all through northern 
India, and my recollections of that country are 
tinged with double enjoyment from this pleas- 
ant companionship. 

The stop of a morning at Penang allowed us 
to see some of the sights there. First we 
visited a large and beautifully situated 
Chinese temple, cleaner and more beautiful 
than any we had seen in China. It had nu- 
merous courts, and a few large pools, some 
of which contained sacred turtles, and others 
sacred fish whose holiness did not seem to 
affect their appetite. Next we went to the 
botanical gardens, and these were quite at- 
75 



76 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

tractive. A little path led off to a waterfall ; 
here we had our first glimpse of wild monkeys. 
On the fifth day the " Torilla " reached 
Rangoon. Here, to my lasting regret, I had 
but two days. 

The Burmese people are most attractive. 
The women, with their pretty, happy faces, 
daintily colored dresses and absolute freedom, 
remind one strongly of the Japanese. It is 
amazing to see these dainty women smoking 
huge black cigars. The Buddhist monk is 
omnipresent, his orange toga making him con- 
spicuous. 

The Shwe-Dagon Pagoda is a bell-shaped 
dagoba, and not a pagoda at all. It is three 
hundred and seventy feet high, and rests on 
a rectangular base almost half as high. It 
is entirely covered with gold leaf, and this, 
with its great height, makes it a conspicuous 
and beautiful feature of the landscape. It is 
the oldest and most venerated of the Buddhist 
places of worship, and is the only one credited 
with containing relics of Gautauma and three 
of the Buddhas who preceded him. Around 
its base, on the platform, are innumerable 
small temples and shrines. A few of them are 
studded with millions of small mirrors, with 
columns treated in the same way, which re- 
mind one of Coney Island. But others of 
them are very beautiful, and show especial 
excellence in their wood carvings. 




^LM 



PENANG AND SINGAPORE. 
A Water Carrier, with the Ever-present Standard Oil 
Can. Penang. Workmen, Singapore. A Little 
Chinaman at the Chinese Temple, Penang. "Bak- 
sheesh," Penang. 



FROM SINGAPORE TO CALCUTTA 77 

Seen from a distance, its base hidden by 
trees, its golden spire glistening in the sun- 
light and reflected in the waters of a little lake, 
it is very picturesque. 

Through an interpreter I spoke with sev- 
eral of the yellow-robed monks. They asked 
me many searching questions, but perhaps the 
most astounding of all was a request to know 
if the President of the United States was a 
Buddhist. 

At Insein — accent the first syllable, please 
— is a Baptist missionary station, which has 
two theological seminaries among other in- 
dustries. One of these is for the Karens 
alone, and had one hundred and forty-four 
students registered. My visit there was all 
too short. 

Another boat, the " Aronda" had to be 
taken from Rangoon to Singapore, and nearly 
all of the " Torillds " passengers transferred 
to it. By arising at five in the morning and 
poring over numerous charts I at last found 
the Southern Cross. It is a small but bril- 
liant constellation ; in this latitude, of course, 
very near the horizon. 

The second day brought us to Calcutta. 
Some of our congenial party were in haste, 
and were anxious to go directly up to Darjeel- 
ing, So thirteen of us decided to go to Dar- 
jeeling that afternoon, though it left us but two 
hours to get money and tickets, arrange about 



78 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

baggage, purchase the bedding necessary for 
the trip, and catch a train at a station miles 
across town. Naturally we saw little of Cal- 
cutta on our arrival ! 




* 




RANGOON, BURMA. 

Temples and Shrines at the Base of the Shwe-Dagon 

Pagoda. 



Chapter VIII 

INDIA 

Darjeeling is the summer resort of the 
foreign residents of India. In December it is 
bitingly cold. The hotel was frigid, and the 
tiny grates seemed only to emphasize the cold- 
ness. But all discomforts are forgotten after 
your first glimpse of Kinchin junga. This 
mountain, over five miles high, and the second 
highest in the world, is but forty miles away, 
and the view of it from Darjeeling is mag- 
nificent. 

Among the natives here are many Tibetans, 
who resemble in color, size and high cheek 
bone our own American Indian. It takes 
three or four of them to pull or push the 
rickshaws over the hilly paths, and the shorter 
the time you have been there the more it 
takes, for they have learned that the new- 
comer is apt to be sympathetic. 

One of the regular features of the hotel is 
a Tibetan dance, given in the evening. The 
chief dancer was a small boy of from twelve 
to fifteen — and small for his age — who had 
on a yellow dress and a clown mask. His 
antics and caperings were really remarkably 
clever and well done. The dance was a kind 
79 



80 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

of parable, the diminutive dancer being at- 
tacked by dragons and horsemen in grotesque 
costumes. It did not seem possible that that 
tiny child could remember all the work he had 
to do. 

It was far from easy to get up in the biting 
cold the next morning at a quarter past three, 
in order to go to Tiger Hill for the sunrise. 
Never have I wanted to see a sunrise less. 
But a party of us got started finally, some 
walking, some riding, and others using the 
sedan chair, carried by six or eight Tibetans. 
For most of the six miles to Tiger Hill the 
journey was in pitch darkness, over rough 
winding paths, and it was certainly weird. 
The coolies broke the monotony by singing 

— one man singing a line and then all join- 
ing in a chorus that sounded like " Hi — yi 

— hi — alloy. Yi — hi — yi — alloy." Fi- 
nally it grew lighter, and shortly after arriving 
at Tiger Hill the sun rose. The view was 
marvelous, extending in all directions, but it 
was not for that alone we were here at this 
hour. At sunrise the mists break, and there 
is the possibility of seeing Mount Everest, 
the highest mountain in the world, one hun- 
dred and twenty-seven miles away. A loud 
shout went up from the men as the clouds 
parted, and in the dim distance, almost hidden 
by intervening mountains, was a tiny cone 
that we were told was Everest. From this 



INDIA 81 



distance it was utterly unimpressive, and we 
had to take consolation in the fact that we had 
seen it. 

Christmas week in Calcutta is the great 
social season, and there was much to see and 
do. Christmas day — which had been rather 
dreaded — passed very delightfully, for al- 
though one missed old friends and faces, and 
the whole Christmas atmosphere, new friends 
made it a day full of fun and merriment. 

Just a word about traveling in India. The 
distances are great, and most of the traveling 
must be done at night. The sleeping cars 
are divided into several compartments each 
of which can accommodate four people. Each 
compartment has its private lavatory — there 
is no public passage. The trains are not as 
clean as they might be. The berths are wide 
and fairly comfortable. Of course you must 
have your own bedding, and it is in the man- 
agement of your baggage and this bedding 
that a servant is really useful. It is perfectly 
possible to go through India without a serv- 
ant — don't let any Englishman convince you 
to the contrary. A good servant is a great 
convenience — a poor one is worse than use- 
less. 

At Benares there are a few temples and a 
palace to be seen, but the trip on the Ganges 
so far outweighs them in interest as to leave 
them negligible. The native part of the town 



82 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

has narrow winding streets, and is indescrib- 
ably dirty. The Ganges is lined on one side 
with large buildings called ghats — though on 
the opposite bank there is a sand waste, with- 
out dwellings or verdure. The best way to see 
these ghats is from the roof of a small house 
boat, rowed slowly up and down the stream. 
It is a wonderful picture. The ghats them- 
selves are magnificent buildings, standing on 
a broad base with steps leading directly into 
the river. Countless natives, many of them 
pilgrims to the sacred river from all parts of 
India, in all imaginable garbs, stand on these 
steps. Some are washing themselves in the 
sacred waters, some are praying to the sun, 
many are going through strange motions so 
intent on their devotions as to be entirely 
oblivious of their surroundings. Huge um- 
brellas are everywhere, adding to the wonder- 
ful effects of light and shade. Here is a holy 
man, his body covered with ashes; here a 
barber, sitting on his haunches, shaving his 
customer in the middle of the street; here is 
a snake charmer, with a basket full of rep- 
tiles ; and here are washermen beating clothes 
on the flat rocks, and laying the pieces al- 
ready washed on the ground to dry in the 
sun, until the whole shore around them is 
covered. 

The burning ghat is usually considered the 
most interesting of all. Lucky indeed is the 




I— I & 



Q 



PS 



H 



INDIA 83 



Hindu who dies in Benares ; for then his ashes 
can be thrown in the sacred water of the 
Ganges. As our boat approached, the body 
of a man — later we were told it was that of 
a high priest — lay wrapped to the chin in 
white, with flowers on his breast. He was 
lying on a litter resting on the steps, with his 
feet submerged in the sacred waters. A bar- 
ber was shaving him, while attendants built 
the pyre. When all was ready, the body was 
lifted to the pyre, where a few simple cere- 
monies took place. Then four pots of fire 
were placed at each corner of the pyre, and 
it was further ignited by long pieces of burn- 
ing straw. Slowly it burned, but fiercely. 
Later, when the fire burnt out, the ashes were 
to be scattered over the Ganges. 

While watching the funeral of the priest, 
two other bodies arrived — one in a litter — 
the other, that of a young girl entirely swathed 
in red, lay in a small boat that was brought 
noiselessly to the ghat — an Oriental Elaine. 

Unlike most tourists we did not stop at 
Cawnpore and Lucknow, with their memories 
of the Mutiny, but continued direct to Agra. 
Agra — the city of the Great Moguls — of 
Akbar and of Shah Jehan. The Taj Mahal 
is the undeniable queen of all India — perhaps 
of the world. But one is dumbfounded at 
the marvelous and exquisite beauty of the 
other buildings of Agra — beauty which would 



84 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

be heralded as widely were it not for the pres- 
ence of this overshadowing sister. 

Of the Taj Mahal itself little need be said. 
It is exquisite — it is perfect. At all times, 
from all positions of vantage, it is the superb 
mistress of Agra. There was one surprise, 
and that was the absence of perforated marble 
screen work. Of this the Taj has none — 
save the screen in the interior around the 
tomb. But this was no disappointment — the 
building is too grandly conceived to need the 
dainty fretwork of such screens. It is a 
glorious monument to Love — would it be 
irreverent to wonder if Shah Jehan thought 
of it — not only as a monument to the woman 
he loved — but also as a monument to himself 
— to his own constancy and affection? 

The tomb of I'timad-ud-daulah lies a little 
north of Agra. He was a councilor of 
Jahangir's, and the grandfather of the lady 
of the Taj. Its beauty lies not so much in 
its architecture and proportions as in the ex- 
quisite daintiness of all its details. The en- 
tire exterior is one mass of marble inlay, ex- 
cept for the marble screens in the window 
recesses. It has been called a huge jewel 
casket — but surely that does not do it jus- 
tice. It is a fairy palace, an expression of 
delight, with no thought or suggestion of 
death, but rather a hope of immortality far 
removed from Nirvana. 




*^i 




AGRA, INDIA. 

The Tomb of I'timad-ud-daulah 
Ayr , , A Glimpse of the Taj. 
Marble Screen in the Tomb of Salim Chishti 
Tomb of Salim Chishti, Fatehpur-Sikrf. ' 



INDIA 85 



The massive castellated battlements of the 
fort at Agra give no hint of the beauty of 
some of the apartments within. So the 
Pearl Mosque is something of a surprise, with 
its large white marble court and its surround- 
ing arches, but it is only the beginning. 
There are many other beautiful buildings, 
culminating in the magnificent Diwan-i-khas 
and the Saman-burg. The Diwan-i-khas, or 
private audience hall, is a one-story structure 
of white marble, the fagade a row of Oriental 
arches, delicately carved and ornamented with 
elaborate inlays of semi-precious stones. The 
Saman-burg, or Jesamine Burg, were the pri- 
vate apartments of Shah Jehan's favorite wife, 
the lady of the Taj. Would it be an exaggera- 
tion to say that your most gorgeous imaginings 
of the Arabian Nights could not exceed the 
beauty of these rooms? A mere description 
gives scant idea — what is it to say that there 
is an octagonal room of white marble, with a 
balcony on one side and an entrance porch 
on the other, with every square inch of wall, 
ceiling and floor carved or inlaid with precious 
or semi-precious stones of every hue, the 
whole making a paragon of light and shade, of 
color and contrast, of grace and delicacy? It 
is the dream of the dilettante, the exquisite, 
the sensualist, the poet — perfectly realized 
in marble. 

After the beauties of these apartments the 



86 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

remaining buildings in the fort seem unin- 
teresting. Built of red sandstone, with mag- 
nificent carvings, they are a more masculine 
expression of architecture, but they lack the 
over-powering effect possessed by the other 
buildings. 

Akbar's Tomb at Secundra is another of the 
mighty monuments of Agra. It has a beauti- 
ful gateway, but the mass of the building itself 
is not good. Its greatest beauty is its 
perforated marble screen work. 

At Fatehpur Sikri, twenty miles away, 
stands the deserted city of Akbar. Built in 
commemoration of a vow, he and his court 
lived here for a few years but were compelled 
to leave it by a pestilence — or perhaps by lack 
of water. There are many buildings, all of 
red sandstone, and covered with exquisite re- 
liefs. The Dargah Mosque adjoins a large 
quadrangle over three hundred by four hun- 
dred feet in size. It is built entirely of red 
sandstone, and in one corner stands the dargah 
or tomb of Salim Chishti 'made entirely of 
white marble, and containing more exquisite 
marble screens, among the finest of all India. 
Inside the tomb is a magnificent canopy, the 
entire surface of which is inlaid with mother 
of pearl. One of the gateways to the quad- 
rangle is the " Gate of Victory," considered 
the most impressive in India. It is necessary 
to see it from a distance to get an idea of 







_. : _ r _,., .. 


■ 


■ 


*' 






■mmmm 


mm. 










AGRA, INDIA. 

The "Saman-burg." 

Detail of the Carving on the Exterior of the Taj 

Mahal. 

Entrance to the "Saman-burg." 

The Pearl Mosque. 



INDIA 87 



its majestic proportions and its dignity of 
location. 

Before leaving Agra I wanted a final look 
at the Taj. Taking a dirty ferry across the 
Jumna at sunset, the view of the Taj with its 
reflection in the river was surpassingly beauti- 
ful. 

A little way up the river I noticed a light, 
and asked my ferryman by gesticulation to 
take me there. As I suspected, it proved to 
be a Hindu burning ghat, with two pyres burn- 
ing brightly. One of them was nearly burnt 
out, but the other was only partly con- 
sumed, and I examined it very closely. A 
native, in perfect English, said: 

" Haven't you ever seen a dead Hindu 
body?" 

Realizing that perhaps I had seemed dis- 
respectful, I replied that I had, but was always 
interested, and asked if it was a relative of 
his. He replied that it was the wife of his 
son, a boy of eighteen standing near. I asked 
if there had been any children. He replied: 

" No. I spent eleven hundred rupees 
(about three hundred and fifty dollars) on 
the wedding — this man here — her father — 
he spent a lot of money too — and — no re- 
sults." 

Imagine standing on the bank of the Jumna, 
the fairylike Taj seeming to float in the gather- 
ing dusk, its image duplicated in the river. 



88 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

The solemn stillness of the twilight was 
broken only by the crackling logs of the 
funeral pyre, burning fiercely with its human 
freight, and lighting up the earnest sober faces 
of these Hindus; and you have a picture of 
my farewell to Agra. 

The royal apartments in the fort at Delhi 
are second only to those of Agra, and many 
consider them finer % They are perhaps a little 
more refined, but in places began to show the 
decadence of the style. A shallow channel 
runs the entire length of all these apartments. 
In olden days water used to run through this, 
to keep the rooms as cool as possible. 

The Jama Mas j id is the largest mosque in 
India. It is a red sandstone building with 
white marble trimmings, and is flanked by two 
graceful minarets. It has three domes, also 
of white marble. Before the mosque is a large 
court surrounded by an arcade — mosque and 
court being raised on a high platform in the 
midst of the city, with imposing flights of 
steps leading to them. 

The Kutab Minar is one of the most beauti- 
ful towers of victory in the world. In design 
it is unique, in that it uses vertical flutings 
that are semi-circular and angular. 

There are many historic buildings to be 
seen at Delhi, such as the tomb of Humayun, 
which served later as the model for the Taj 
Mahal, but there is not space to speak of them. 




DELHI, INDIA. 
The Kutab Minar. 



INDIA 



No trip to Delhi is complete, however, with- 
out a visit to the Ridge, to see the site of so 
many of the events of the Mutiny of 1857. 

The main streets of Jaipur are very wide, 
and all the houses are painted pink. The 
street scenes are fascinating — the natives in 
their dresses of brilliant reds, browns and yel- 
lows. An occasional camel or elephant is 
seen, and wild peacocks abound. Often you 
would see two natives holding a strip of newly 
dyed red cloth many yards long, waving it 
back and forth to dry it more quickly. It is 
certainly a city of much color. 

Amber is a ruined and deserted city five 
miles from Jaipur. Part of the trip can be 
made on elephant back, if you so desire, but 
it is not particularly to be desired. The situa- 
tion of the deserted palace on the side of the 
hill, with a little lake at its base, is very pic- 
turesque. The rooms of the palace, while by 
no means as handsome as the Mohammedan 
palaces of Agra and Delhi, have still a great 
deal of beauty, and much that is original in 
decoration. 

Another night journey brought us to 
Abu Road. Having neglected to telegraph 
ahead for tongas, we had great difficulty in 
procuring any. While waiting I went to the 
dining-room and asked for some soft boiled 
eggs. The servant answered : 

" Fried eggs ? " 



go GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

" No, no. Soft boiled, half boiled." 

"Not fried?" 

"No. Boiled/' 

He was gone at least five minutes, and 
then returned, saying: — 

" Sahib have fried eggs ? " 

" No, no, no. I want boiled eggs." 

" No have boiled eggs — cook fried 'em." 

I had fried eggs.. 

The tongas, when they did arrive were 
hailed with joy. But the long eighteen-mile 
trip up the mountain to Mount Abu was to be 
fraught with excitement. The man in charge 
of the tonga line had been in charge for only 
ten days, and the horses were for the most 
part unbroken. As we got higher up on the 
hill, with a steep descent on the side of the 
road, one of the horses balked, and nearly 
succeeded in spilling us over the edge of the 
cliff. Then he dashed for the wall on the 
other side. The driver, fortunately, was ex- 
cellent, or there might have been a different 
story to tell. At the next relay two miles fur- 
ther up on the road we got other horses, fully 
as unbroken, but not quite so demonstrative. 

Mount Abu, like Darjeeling, is used as a 
summer resort. It is delightfully situated, and 
possesses a small lake, a rarity in India. But 
the main interest here is centered in the Dil- 
warra temples. These were built by the 
Jains about the twelfth century, and are 



INDIA 91 



among the oldest temples of India. The Jains 
are an ancient but small sect of the Buddhists. 
The temples are small, and wholly unimpres- 
sive from the exterior. But on the inside 
almost every square inch of the surface is 
carved, and it is to the minuteness, delicacy, 
and exquisiteness of these carvings that the 
temples owe their reputation. They are 
marvelously beautiful, and stand among the 
most artistic buildings of India. 

Ahmedabad had many beautiful buildings, 
of graceful shape and delicate carving, 
but as they are small and built of brown stone 
they are by no means as impressive as many 
of the other buildings of India. The city was 
disgustingly dirty, and we tarried no longer 
than necessary. The Sidi Said Mosque has 
two beautiful perforated windows. They 
were of stone — not of marble, and though 
not as handsome as the marble ones already 
seen, for pure beauty of pattern they were un- 
rivaled. A drive to a near-by lake was of in- 
terest, if only on account of the wild monkeys. 
They surrounded the carriage — really, they 
are much preferable behind bars. If we had 
needed anything to complete our disgust with 
Ahmedabad, it was provided by a visit to a 
Hindu animal hospital. This was filthily 
dirty, and filled with deformed and diseased 
animals of every kind. A crying cat in a tiny 
dirty cage called our attention to the fact that 



92 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

its mate in the same cage was dead : later we 
discovered a dead hen in another small cage, 
with a live one. The keepers of the gate were 
rather surprised at our hasty departure, and 
greatly grieved at the size of our baksheesh! 
After that we couldn't quit Ahmedabad too 
quickly. 

Bombay formed a great contrast. It is a 
beautiful city, with many large and imposing 
if not attractive buildings. Here are the fa- 
mous Parsee Towers of Silence. The Parsees 
are descendants of the ancient Persian immi- 
grants to this country. They are in advance 
of the people of India in intelligence and in- 
dustry, and are said to be greatly hated by 
them. They do not believe in polluting any 
of the elements — earth, air, water, or even 
fire — with the bodies of their dead, and so 
have devised these Towers of Silence. There 
are five of them, the largest being twenty-five 
feet high and nearly three hundred feet in cir- 
cumference. A small model of one tower 
can be inspected, for no one but certain 
priests is allowed to enter the towers them- 
selves. The interior is divided into three 
concentric circles: the outside one for the 
bodies of men, the middle one for women, and 
the center one for children. The body is 
placed here by the priests, and in a short time 
every particle of flesh is torn from the bones 
by the vultures, that are always sitting on 



INDIA 93 



the top of the wall — more forbidding than 
Poe's raven. The time taken to strip the 
bodies is variously estimated from ten minutes 
to three hours. After the bones are dried 
they are thrown in a well in the center of the 
tower. It seems horrible at first, but is it so 
much more revolting than our own method 
of burial? 

From Bombay I went to Bangalore by way 
of Poona, avoiding Madras. As far as 
Poona the scenery was by far the prettiest 
that I saw in India. But the rest of the two- 
day trip was tedious. Bangalore is far south, 
and the difference between the people here 
and farther north was very marked. In fact 
no two of the native cities of India are alike 
— each has its own individuality. There was 
nothing to detain me at Bangalore, so I con- 
tinued to Trichinopoly, with its rock and its 
temple. The temple was on much the same 
plan as the one at Madura, to be mentioned 
later. The rock is but a little over two hun- 
dred feet high, but the plain surrounding it is 
flat, making the view from the top very ex- 
tensive. 

The temple at Tanjore is slightly different 
from the one at Madura, though modeled on 
the same lines. The gopuram here is high 
and very beautiful. This temple is remark- 
able for its thousands of linghams, represent- 
ing Shiva, and I was fortunate in getting a 



94 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

photograph of a woman praying to one of 
them. There is also a beautiful little shrine 
to a son of Shiva, and there is also an impos- 
ing statue of the sacred bull of Shiva. As I 
entered a boy was playing " My Country 'tis 
of Thee " on a flute — shrilly and haltingly. 
Germans, English and Americans compose 
practically all the tourists that come to India ; 
and this is a national tune of each of these 
nations ; so the flutist can hardly make a mis- 
take no matter who approaches. 

The enclosure of the Great Temple at 
Madura is very large, over eight hundred by 
seven hundred feet. It has nine gopurams. 
These gopurams are pyramidal towers over 
gateways, and are crowded with sculpture; so 
crowded, in fact, that the dignity and mass 
of the gopurams themselves are lost in study- 
ing the details. But in the moonlights the de- 
tails are blotted out, and then, outlined against 
the sky, they are amazing and impressive bits 
of architecture. The four gopurams on the 
outside walls are the largest — the highest one 
is over a hundred and fifty feet. Nearly all 
the temple grounds are open to inspection, 
except the sanctuary itself. There are 
courts and walls, temples and hallways with- 
out number, where one can wander for hours. 
One of the large corridors around the temple 
is entirely of stone, the ceiling being supported 
by elaborately carved brackets resting on large 




TANJORE, INDIA. 
Praying to a Lingham. 



INDIA 95 



weird horses, lions, and men, as caryatides. 
One portion of it was infested with bats. 
This hall was large, long and impressive, but 
it was also dingy, smelly, and dirty. 

Near one of the buildings I spied an ele- 
phant. A small boy — he could not have 
been over ten — took him in charge, and it was 
certainly amusing to see him manage that huge 
beast. He would strike him and beat him, and 
push him out of the way, and then proceed 
to clean the cage with his bare feet. He must 
have been the son of the keeper, or the 
elephant, I was told, would not have taken the 
treatment so good-naturedly. 

A hall near the temple, called Tirumala's 
Choultry, had numerous natives sitting around 
on the floor, sewing. Most of them were us- 
ing little hand sewing machines — I counted 
over a hundred of them. 

In the evening I returned to the temple 
again, and wandered by myself through those 
strange halls. In the distance I heard the 
noise of music, but paid no attention to it at 
first. Then I heard a loud shout, and knew 
that some ceremony must be in progress. I 
hurried toward the noise, and found a vast 
crowd in a lofty stone hall, lit by torches 
carried by tiny naked children. In the center, 
surrounded by priests, sat statues of the god 
and goddess on the back of silver bulls. They 
each had an attendant who fanned them con- 



96 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

stantly. A band was marching through the 
hall, followed by priests carrying great red and 
white umbrella-like canopies. Finally they 
stopped in front of the statues, and as they 
did so an instantaneous hush came over the 
crowd. Suddenly came a weird sound, be- 
ginning as a kind of groan, and ending as a 
shout, and then all the people raised their 
hands above their, heads, and many of them 
threw themselves upon the stone floor. It 
was an uncanny, mysterious sight. 

" That's all," came a matter-of-fact voice by 
my ear. The spell was broken. The voice 
was that of one of the temple guards. But 
he was wrong ; it was not all. The procession 
formed again, the gods were raised from their 
places and carried — much as the ark of the 
covenant must have been carried — to their 
place. And all the time their attendants kept 
fanning them. The lights and shadows of the 
flickering torches, the weird procession, made 
up one of the most unusual sights of the whole 
trip. 

As I emerged through one of the gopurams, 
I happened on another procession of an en- 
tirely different character. It was a wedding 
party. The bride and groom, gorgeously 
dressed — the groom far more gorgeously 
than the bride — sat in an open victoria, with 
rows of candles in glass shields running along 
each side. Four natives were carrying large 




MADURA, INDIA. 

'The Tank of the Golden Lilies." 

COLOMBO, CEYLON. 

A Banyan Tree. 



INDIA 97 



gas lamps with portable tanks, and they cast 
a strong light over the scene. Before the car- 
riage was the musician, and behind it came 
the wedding guests on foot. As soon as I 
appeared I seemed to divide attention with 
the bride and groom. Not wishing to set up 
a counter attraction, I tried to lose myself by 
sitting down on a low step. But to no pur- 
pose. I was immediately surrounded by at 
least fifty peeping, smiling faces. Seeing that 
I was causing more curiosity by sitting than I 
did while standing, I rose and mingled with 
the crowd again. The procession would move 
about ten feet, and then stop, and wait for 
ages before moving again. A man stepped up 
to me and said " Marriage." A boy brought 
me a tray bearing some leaves and nuts, some 
white powder, and a bowl of brownish liquid. 
Here was a dilemma for which I was entirely 
unprepared. They were evidently being po- 
lite and courteous, and were treating me 
as a wedding guest. I was evidently expected 
to do something, but I had not the slightest 
idea what it was. I did not want to be dis- 
courteous — I did want to be appreciative. 
Just at this critical point up came a bright 
smiling boy who spoke excellent English. He 
said I was to dip my finger in the liquid and 
rub it on my hands, then take some of the 
nuts, dip them in the powder, and chew them. 
With fear and trembling I acquiesced. The 



98 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

liquid was a sandal wood ointment, fragrant 
and clean. So far, so good. The nuts looked 
suspicious, but not until they were sprinkled 
with the powder (said to have been lime) 
and in my mouth did I realize what they were. 
Then, although I had never tasted them, I 
knew that they were betel nuts. These nuts 
are chewed by the natives all through India 
and in many other countries, to make their 
mouths and lips red. It is not a beautiful 
sight. It did not take me long to dispose of it 
secretly, though I kept up the appearance of 
chewing. Then I asked the boy why the pro- 
cession moved so slowly. He answered: 
" Because of the musician. He is the best one 
in Madura." And he insisted that I should 
hear him play. I was led to the piper at the 
head of the procession, and a circle was imme- 
diately formed around us. With a foreigner 
for audience the piper fairly outdid himself. 
He postured and danced, he rolled his eyes and 
puffed his cheeks to unthinkable dimensions. 
You can imagine my feelings: the bride and 
groom sat deserted in their carriage, looking 
extremely glum ; the musician making hideous 
sounds: the crowd interested and amused. I 
knew it was necessary for me to tip him, and 
in giving him a rupee I probably paid as much 
or more than did those who hired him. 
Finally I said good night and left — but it was 
useless — the whole procession followed. So 



INDIA 99 



I had to stop again, and this time make my 
good-night more definite, and at last escaped. 
But that day at Madura was memorable. 

Before taking the train for Tuticorin the 
next morning, I had an opportunity to visit 
the palace of Tirumala Nayak, now used for 
public offices. Though built almost at the 
same time as the temples, it in no way re- 
sembles them. It seems like a much more 
modern building. At Tuticorin it is neces- 
sary to take a small tender seven miles down 
the bay to board the boat for Ceylon, and 
the trip is none too calm. 

I had been over five weeks in India, and had 
seen only a small portion of it, but the time 
had come to depart. I left it with much re- 
gret — it is a fascinating country. 



Chapter IX 

CEYLON 

The next morning the boat arrived at 
Colombo. It is not an impressive port, 
though it is one of the busiest in the world. 
Colombo itself is a straggling town of little 
beauty. Here again were rickshaws, and it 
was good to see them, for these little vehicles 
are very convenient. 

Kandy is the capital of Ceylon, and the trip 
by rail from Colombo almost rivals those of 
Java in beauty. There are the same rice ter- 
races and the same vegetation, and as the train 
rises higher and higher you have similar ex- 
tensive views of the island. Kandy is a little 
mountain town around the edge of a small 
but very pretty artificial lake, with exception- 
ally lovely surroundings. The famous 
" Temple of the Tooth " stands on the edge 
of the lake, and is a pleasing though not im- 
posing building. But there is nothing of great 
beauty in it, and the " tooth " is not on exhibi- 
tion. The original tooth, supposed to have 
been one of Buddha's, was burnt by the 
Portuguese in 1560, and shortly after a new 
one, said to be over two inches long, was made 
of ivory. 

100 



CEYLON 101 



On the other side of the lake is a Buddhist 
monastery. This I visited to see if I could 
purchase one of the costumes of the monks. 
For again we are in Buddhist territory, and 
the yellow-robed priests are seen everywhere. 
They received me hospitably, secured an in- 
terpreter, and I told them what I wanted. 
They asked me why I wished it, and I an- 
swered that it was to show the people in 
America how the Buddhist monks dressed. 
When they heard that they said they would 
present it to me — I hardly knew whether to 
accept it or not, but finally made things right 
by leaving an offering before one of their 
gods. The skirt is simply a square piece of 
dark yellow cotton, which they wrap around 
their waist. The other garment is much 
larger, and is draped over the left shoulder, 
leaving the right shoulder and arm bare. As 
they are supposed to wear rags by the laws 
of their creed, there are seams in this cloth, 
but in reality it is all one piece. Later I wore 
this at a fancy dress ball on the " Prinz 
Ludwig," and a German asked me if I repre- 
sented Caesar. 

" No," I replied, "lama Buddhist monk." 

" Ah — ah — Brutus ! " and he walked away 
quite satisfied. 

The Peradeniya Gardens are near Kandy, 
and rank with the wonderful botanical gar- 
dens of Buitenzorg, in Java. Of only one of 



102 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

the interesting things there can mention be 
made. The Assam rubber tree has what 
might be called " web-footed roots " — roots 
that leave the trunk about three or four feet 
from the ground, and extend in all directions 
in inclined wavy lines for ten to twenty feet, 
but which have a tissue of bark connecting 
them with the ground the whole distance. 
The gardens are infested with " Flying 
Foxes " — large bats that at close range do re- 
semble foxes. They do considerable damage, 
and their repulsive appearance does not lend to 
the beauty of the gardens. Efforts are being 
made to get rid of them. 

The deserted and almost forgotten city of 
Anuradhapura lies in the northern part of the 
island. Made the capital of Ceylon three cen- 
turies before Christ, it reached its highest de- 
velopment about the time of Christ, and was 
finally deserted about the ninth century. It 
covers an enormous amount of ground, and 
extensive ruins abound for miles around. 
The most imposing of the ruins are the old 
dagobas. These dagobas, like the Shwa 
Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon, are bell-shaped, 
and are erected over some relic of Buddha or 
one of his disciples. There are many of them 
throughout Anuradhapura, and four of them 
are of huge dimensions. The largest is the 
Abhayagiriya — two hundred and thirty-seven 
feet in diameter at the base, and about two 



CEYLON 103 



hundred and sixty feet high. The structure is 
solid, and made entirely of brick, the enormous 
quantities of them which must have been used 
is inconceivable. 

Many of the ruins have been given fanciful 
names, which have probably no connection 
with the buildings themselves. The " Stone 
Canoe," for instance, is a huge stone trough 
which is said to have been filled with rice at 
the time of special festivals, for the poorer pil- 
grims. The " Elephant Stables " are the ruins 
of a palace or temple of some kind — it is ex- 
tremely improbable that they were ever used as 
their name would indicate. Here they were 
excavating, and about a month before had un- 
covered a " Guardian Stone," one of the stones 
set up at each side of the entrance to a temple. 
This stone was regarded as quite a find, as it 
was considerably more ornate than other 
stones of similar character, and the modeling 
of the figure and draperies was excellent. 
It was lying on the ground, and was partially 
filled with water; so that the photograph does 
not do it full justice. While examining it there 
was some excitement among the workmen, 
and I heard a shrill plaintive cry. They had 
captured a young and very small deer. 

Nearly all these ruins lie in a dense forest, 
and while driving through it one encounters 
fragments of steps and balustrades and the 
foundations of innumerable houses, temples 



104 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

and palaces. The " Brazen Palace " is a 
forest of square stone pillars. There are six- 
teen hundred of them, arranged in forty 
parallel rows. These formed the foundation 
of a nine-story building erected about one hun- 
dred years before Christ. 

Mention must also be made of the Sacred 
Bo-Tree, supposed to be a branch of the 
original Bo-Tree at'Gaya under which Buddha 
taught. Some claim that it is probably the 
oldest historical tree in existence, as it was 
planted two hundred and forty years before 
Christ, with records to prove it. 

The method of transportation in Anurad- 
hapura is not ideal. It consists of springless 
carts drawn by bullocks, and is neither com- 
fortable nor rapid. There is a single white 
pony in town, but do not be disappointed if 
you do not get him, for the bullocks are just 
as fast, and they look stronger. While here 
I saw several birds of paradise, but left them 
to their own customs rather than ours. 

It takes eleven days to go from Colombo to 
Port Said. The " Prinz Ludwig " was 
ladened with tourists, and so many of them 
had been encountered already in other places 
that when we all got aboard it seemed like one 
large family. Games and sports were insti- 
tuted immediately, and the days passed all too 
quickly. One evening a " Bal Blanc " was 
held, and another evening the fancy dress baU 



CEYLON 105 



already alluded to. The boat stopped a few- 
hours at Aden, but not long enough to allow 
us to land. 

By leaving the ship at Suez instead of Port 
Said I gained a day in Cairo, but of course 
missed the trip through the canal. I was not 
sorry when I found that all those disembark- 
ing at Port Said were routed out of their 
rooms at midnight the next night, to ac- 
commodate oncoming passengers. 



Chapter X 

EGYPT 

Of Egypt so much has been written, and so 
many people have visited it, that little of it 
comes under the head of the unusual, and 
it would be out of place to give it more than 
passing mention here. 

Cairo is a fascinating city — a city of 
mosque and minaret. The mosques are nu- 
merous, and many of them are wonderful 
buildings, with imposing interiors. But none 
is quite as exquisite as some of the marble 
ones in India. The pyramids have been re- 
produced so often that when first seen they 
look quite like old friends. The ascent was by 
no means as difficult as I had anticipated, 
though it was not easy. The passage to the 
interior chambers was much more difficult, as 
the floors were slippery and some of the 
passages were very low, and very steep. The 
Sphinx, at first sight, is a disappointment, as 
it seems so small — it is hard to believe it is 
seventy feet high. But as one becomes more 
accustomed to it, its dignity, its unknown age 
and unknown purpose, cause a feeling of ven- 
eration for it that probably cannot be induced 
by any other monument on earth. Involun- 
106 



EGYPT 107 

tarily you follow the gaze of those sightless 
eyes which seem to have been searching the 
plain for the last fifty-five centuries. 

On the " Ludwig" I had joined the Keator 
family, and at Cairo they were joined by the 
two Misses Pierce from San Francisco. It is 
only after having traveled alone for some 
time that one appreciates to the full congenial 
companions. 

We took one of the Nile steamers, and 
visited the temples of Denderah, Luxor, 
Karnak, the Tombs of the Kings at Thebes, 
and many other of the magnificent ruins of 
ancient Egypt, on our way up the Nile to 
Assouan. Undoubtedly the most impressive 
building was the hypostyle hall of the Temple 
of Karnak, with the marvelously preserved 
sculptures and bas-reliefs of the Tombs of 
the Kings standing second. 

The dam at Assouan is a magnificent piece 
of engineering, second only to the Panama 
Canal. By it the waters of the Nile are con- 
trolled so as to increase the fertility of the 
country greatly. The poor little island of 
Philae, formerly one of the beauty spots of 
Egypt, is almost completely submerged by the 
waters of the lake formed by the dam. Only 
the tops of the pylons and of the " Bed of 
Pharaoh " were visible — all the rest was sub- 
merged. 

One wonders who taught the natives here 



108 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

" Hip — hip — hurrah." Their version is ac- 
cented slightly differently, and sounds not un- 
like 

"HIP — HIP — who-ry 

HIP — HIP — who-ry 

HIP — HIP — who-ry 

Dank you, .dank you, dank you. 

Berry good, berry nice." 

They never seem to vary from this formula. 

At Assouan we changed to another boat, 
and continued on to Wadi-Halfa. There are 
numerous small temples lining the bank of the 
Nile in this part, but Abou-Simbel alone de- 
serves mention. Though it prolongs one's 
stay in Egypt a week to take the trip from 
Assouan to Wadi-Halfa and back, it is well 
worth while on account of this temple. 

Abou-Simbel is the famous rock-hewn tem- 
ple of Ramesesthe Great. Every part of it is 
carved from the solid rock, and on that ac- 
count alone would be interesting, but the ex- 
cellence of the sculpture is so marked, and 
the statues so impressive, that the temple ranks 
with the Sphinx and the Pyramids in interest. 
Cut in the wall of the cliff sit four gigantic 
statues of Rameses, sixty-four feet high. Be- 
tween the two central figures is the doorway 
to the temple. This first leads to a large 
chamber, the roof of which is supported by 
eight square pillars, with statues of Osiris in 




ABOU-SIMBEL, EGYPT. 
The Colossal Statues of Rameses the Great. 

The entire temple is carved from the solid rock. 



EGYPT 109 

front of each, all carved from the rock. Be- 
yond this lie other chambers, and on the end 
wall of the final one are the seated statues of 
four gods, one of them no less than Rameses 
himself. These statues, and the chambers 
leading to them, face directly East, and though 
they are one hundred and eighty-five feet from 
the entrance, the sun shines full upon them 
as it rises. It is a strange sight to see these 
figures, which in the dim light of the torches 
the day before could scarcely be distinguished, 
glowing in the bright light of the rising sun. 
One cannot help wondering of their thoughts, 
their desires — but there they sit, solid, im- 
movable, unscrutable. 

Returning down the Nile there was little 
excitement, unless being stuck in the mud for 
twenty-eight hours might be so considered. 
At first it was interesting, but it soon became 
monotonous. 

Cairo reached again, our last night there was 
enlivened by a confetti carnival at Shepard's. 
The garden back of the hotel was illuminated 
by numerous Japanese lanterns, one tree be- 
ing especially beautiful filled with great glow- 
ing orange lanterns. Perhaps this was doubly 
enjoyed, for it was like a breath of fresh air 
after having prowled for so long among the 
deserted haunts of the long-since dead. 



Chapter XI 

PALESTINE AND SYRIA 

Much has been written of the difficulties of 
landing at Jaffa. If there is the slightest wind 
blowing the sea becomes choppy; so much so 
that it is almost impossible to get into the 
small boats that bring you to the wharf. 
The sailors are used to it, though, and manage 
extremely well — but you must not object to 
being treated much as if you were a bag of 
salt. It is an amusing sight to see the pas- 
sengers being placed in the small boats — it 
is, at least, until your own turn comes. 

At Jaffa the two buildings of historical in- 
terest are the houses of Simon the Tanner and 
of Dorcas. And right here, at the very out- 
set of your trip, you come face to face with 
the eternal question in Palestine, " Are these 
places authentic?" In the vast number of 
cases — almost without exception — there is 
little reason to believe them so. At first this 
constant doubt — or actual disbelief — pre- 
vents any feeling of reverence or veneration. 
But little by little you begin to realize that 
you are in Palestine, that the towns and cities 
are positively identified, and that if this par- 
ticular spot is not the one it is said to be, the 
no 



PALESTINE AND SYRIA m 

actual one is near by, and would probably look 
much the same. But stronger than all this, 
the very respect and devotion bestowed on 
these shrines by innumerable adoring pil- 
grims for generations must have given the 
spot some order of sanctity, some fragrance of 
holiness, no matter whether it be the actual 
place or not. When one sees a poor ragged 
pilgrim who has perhaps walked for miles — 
his clothing unkempt, his feet blistered — 
kneel at one of these shrines, and with heaving 
bosom and tears streaming down his face kiss 
ecstatically some sacred stone, you realize that 
he has gotten something that you in your dis- 
belief can never get — that he has worshiped, 
whereas you have criticised. Surely — surely, 
you are on holy ground. 

But at first you have to find comfort in the 
hills — the eternal hills. They may have 
changed a little, but the effect is the same as 
it was nineteen hundred years ago. The 
brooks followed the same course — the vil- 
lages stood on the same ground. 

It must be admitted that the first view of 
Jerusalem is a disappointing one. The whole 
city — walls, towers and buildings — looks so 
new. Many of the buildings are new, and 
they are the largest and most prominent ones, 
but even in the old walls and houses the 
stone has retained a new look that makes it 
almost impossible to realize that they are an- 



ii2 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

cient. But soon you become accustomed to 
this, and then little by little the city and your 
preconceived ideas of it adjust themselves. 

Jerusalem is a city of steps, of arches, and 
of stairways. In every nook and cranny is 
some unexpected little staircase filling in a 
corner or clambering joyously to an upper 
story with apparently no regard for the laws 
of architecture. Open doorways give glimpses 
of attractive little courtyards ; stone arches 
across the street cast dark shadows that give 
brilliant contrasts of light and shade. The 
crowd in the street gives every variety of 
dress and person — strong-faced Arabs — ro- 
tund Turks — sleek Armenians — stately Be- 
douins — and Jews of every kind. 

But Jerusalem, which should be the very 
holy of holies, a city of peace and love and 
good-will, has become a very hotbed of 
fanaticism, of hate, of intrigue, of war. And 
here it is that the great and lasting disap- 
pointment of Jerusalem comes in. Torn by 
internal quarrels, each sect of so-called Chris- 
tians striving, bickering, fighting and rioting 
among themselves, it makes the very name 
Christian a by-word and a stumbling block, 
a cruel libel and an unholy joke. The 
Mohammedan stands serene and aloof, look- 
ing with sarcastic amusement and ill-concealed 
disgust on the rivalries of the " Christians," 
and sends his soldiers to keep the peace. And 




JERUSALEM, PALESTINE. 
A Street Scene. 



PALESTINE AND SYRIA 113 

for this Christ died! But perhaps even mis- 
directed energy is better than absolute apathy ! 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has a 
monopoly of nearly all the historical places 
in Jerusalem. It contains the stone of anoint- 
ment, the column of flagellation, Calvary, the 
Holy Sepulchre, the center of the world, the 
grave of Adam, and even the spot from which 
God took the dust to make Adam ! Architec- 
turally the building is a jumble, though parts 
of it are truly beautiful — but the inevitable 
tawdry over-ornamentation successfully hides 
everything artistic about the building. 

After these meaningless and inartistic dec- 
orations it is a pleasure — and a pain — to step 
inside the Dome of the Rock. This Moham- 
medan building is usually called the Mosque 
of Omar, but it is not a mosque. The interior 
is beautifully and tastefully decorated, and the 
whole building has that atmosphere of holi- 
ness and quiet sanctity one would like to see 
at the Holy Sepulchre. The walls are covered 
with beautiful mosaics — the floor is carpeted 
with ancient rugs. The rock itself is sup- 
posed to have been the scene of the sacrifice 
of Isaac, and is as much revered by the Mo- 
hammedans as by the Jews — in fact, Jeru- 
salem ranks next to Mecca in the estimation 
of the Moslem. 

There are of course innumerable other? 
places to visit in Jerusalem, but space cannot 



H4 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

be given to them. One — and this must suf- 
fice — was the Jew's Wailing Place. It is 
certainly an unusual sight to see the Jews here, 
praying for the peace of Jerusalem and for 
the restoration of the temple. Much of it 
is formal, but once in a while you see a 
mourner in a very agony of grief — were she 
mourning for her own son her grief could 
not be more real and acute. When you real- 
ize that she is weeping over the destruction 
of the temple thousands of years ago it makes 
you wonder if she is one of a new seven thou- 
sand who has not bowed the knee to Baal. 

On Palm Sunday we attended an early 
service at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 
to see the ceremony of the blessing of the palm 
by the Patriarch of the Roman Church. The 
palms were blessed in the Sepulchre itself, 
and then distributed by the Patriarch, each 
recipient kneeling to him and kissing his ring. 
All through the service the Greek Catholics 
in another part of the building kept ringing 
a bell, to disturb the Roman service as much 
as possible. This is a fair example of the 
constant petty bickerings between the sects. 

But a more interesting ceremony was held 
on Good Friday night. We were placed on 
a high and frail balcony which was soon over- 
crowded, and which seemed very dangerous. 
It overlooked the " Stone of Unction " and 
enabled us to see all the ceremony. The 



PALESTINE AND SYRIA 115 

priests brought a figure of Christ nailed to 
the cross, and held a service in the room said 
to have been the site of Calvary. Then they 
brought it to the Stone of Unction, where 
they took it from the cross, laid it on the 
stone, and anointed it. Later it was carried 
in a sheet to the Holy Sepulchre. 

From the Mount of Olives one has a 
splendid view of Jerusalem and the surround- 
ing country, extending on the other side to 
the Dead Sea and the Jordan. The Garden 
of Gethsemane is now under the care of the 
Franciscans, and has a spirit of quiet and 
reverence not possessed by the other holy 
sites. 

Bethlehem has many new buildings also. 
In the basement of the Church of the Nativ- 
ity lies the manger, lighted by hundreds of 
tiny lamps. These are kept lighted by the 
various sects, and each one takes jealous care 
of their portion of the number. 

On the way to Jericho we stopped at 
Bethany, with its tomb of Lazarus, and at the 
Inn of the Good Samaritan. The guides 
solemnly asserted that this was the actual Inn, 
ignoring the fact that the story itself was a 
parable. Jericho is now but a tiny village of 
mud houses. From here we visited the Dead 
Sea and the Jordan, the latter at the supposed 
place of Christ's baptism. 

On Easter Monday morning we started on 



n6 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

our caravan trip through Palestine. There 
were eight of us — the Keator party of five, 
the two Misses Pierce, and myself. But our 
caravan consisted of twenty men, including 
the dragoman, fifteen horses, nineteen mules 
and six donkeys. We had six tents — four 
for sleeping, and a dining-room and kitchen. 
The tents were large, and on the interior were 
decorated with interesting designs of bril- 
liantly colored cloth appliqued on. In effect 
it was not unlike some of the American Indian 
color work, though of course the designs were 
oriental. 

The country around Jerusalem is unusually 
stony, but nevertheless wild flowers are abun- 
dant. The Rose of Sharon — a low red 
poppy-like flower — is perhaps the most strik- 
ing. In one small patch not five feet square 
I found no fewer than sixteen different 
varieties of flowers. 

Our course led us by many of the places 
so often spoken of in Jewish history: Shi- 
loh ; Jacob's Well ; Mounts Ebal and Gerizim ; 
Nabulus, the ancient Shechem; Samaria; 
Dothan; the Plain of Esdraelon; Nazareth; 
Cana ; and the Sea of Galilee. 

At Samaria our camp was pitched near the 
remains of an ancient Roman basilica which 
crowned the hill. The remains were scanty, 
but included a broad flight of steps, a Roman 
altar, and the foundation walls of a temple. 



PALESTINE AND SYRIA 117 

Dothan is the reputed site of the pit in which 
Joseph was placed by his brethren. The pit 
is now a well, and though restricted, made a 
very acceptable bathing place. Jenin, north 
of Dothan, is quite a large village. It was 
interesting to see the sheep and cattle being 
driven home in exactly the same manner as 
they have been for ages. Here our dragoman 
thought it necessary to have an armed escort 
for the day, for the feeling against the Turks 
is very bitter, and the natives think that if 
they could make trouble for some foreigner 
it might mean foreign intervention, with pos- 
sibilities of escaping from the hated yoke. 

The journey across the Plain of Esdraelon 
was interesting. On our right were the 
mountains of Gilboa, where Saul and his sons 
were slain, and the village of Endor, while 
ahead of us rose a high hill with the village 
of Nazareth perched almost at the top. At 
Nazareth are many holy places — the most 
authentic being the Virgin's Well. Our camp 
was pitched in an olive orchard, and we 
stayed here three days. 

Then we continued to the Sea of Galilee, 
pitching the camp just below Tiberias. Gali- 
lee is a beautiful lake, with high mountains 
all around it. Tiberias is a dirty city, but 
has interesting and picturesque old Roman 
walls. We took a boat across the lake to the 
site of Capernaum, but rain and wind de- 



n8 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

tracted from the pleasure of the sail. All 
that is left of Capernaum is the foundation of 
the synagogue, and even this has not been 
positively identified. 

From here we journeyed on in the rain to 
El Jauneh, a modern settlement of returned 
Jews. The rain continued the next day, and 
made it inadvisable — considering the condi- 
tion of some of the donkeys — to proceed on 
to Damascus ; so we returned to Tiberias and 
took the train. A camping trip may have 
its difficulties, but it certainly was one of the 
most enjoyable features of the entire world 
circle. 

While waiting in our tents at El Jauneh 
for the rains to pass, we heard uncouth noises, 
and shots from near the camp. We were 
told it was a Mohammedan wedding, and lost 
no time in reaching it. The groom was on 
horse back, dressed in a long black coat, with 
a flowing purple headdress. In front of him 
were about a score of his friends. They 
formed a solid line, shoulder to shoulder, and 
were dancing, singing, clapping their hands 
and swaying their bodies all in unison. A 
leader with two knives danced in front of 
them, and led the responses. Behind the 
groom came some women more circumspectly, 
but the bride was conspicuous by her absence. 
As we wished to see her we left the procession 




DAMASCUS, SYRIA. 
An Old Archway. 



PALESTINE AND SYRIA 119 

and were led to her house. The courtyard 
was dirty and muddy in the extreme. The 
house was made of wood and plaster, and 
was both residence and stable combined, the 
division between the two being simply a drop 
of two or three feet in the floor. The 
furnishings were an old table and chair, a 
broken mirror and a candle. The bride was 
dressed in brilliant magenta, her face covered. 
For a fee she deigned to show it. I don't 
know what the fee was, but it wasn't worth 
it. We then returned to the groom's party 
and watched the dancing. The piper piped 
continuously, and by some means kept his 
cheeks inflated to the full all the time. 

Damascus is a fascinating city. The num- 
ber of its imposing buildings is limited to a 
few mosques — the main interest centering in 
the street life. Many of the more important 
streets are roofed, like the " Street called 
Straight." I had always understood that this 
street was extremely winding — but on the 
contrary it is for a good part of its length 
absolutely straight and quite broad. The 
streets are lined with little shops, displaying 
almost every conceivable kind of merchandise. 
Silks and satins, gold and silver work, saddles, 
copper, tobacco, brass, second-hand clothes, 
steel arms, books, fruits and vegetables, are 
only a few of the things to be seen. Though 



120 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

spoken of only in this short paragraph, 
Damascus was one of the most interesting of 
the Oriental cities visited. 

Baalbek was a revelation. The remains of 
the old temples here are magnificent. They 
show a very late and often degenerate develop- 
ment of Roman architecture, but are never- 
theless very beautiful, both in mass and de- 
tail. Of the enormous temple of Jupiter but 
six huge columns, with a bit of the entabla- 
ture, remain intact. The temple of Bacchus 
is smaller and much better preserved. The 
details of these buildings, though flamboyant 
in the extreme, are beautifully carved. 

As the train descends to Beyrout a mag- 
nificent view is obtained of the harbor, with 
its surrounding mountains. Beyrout itself 
was by comparison with Damascus uninterest- 
ing, but it was with real regret that we had 
to leave it and the domains of Turkey in 
Asia. 



Chapter XII 

CONSTANTINOPLE AND GREECE 

It was not without foreboding that we went 
to Constantinople, for the Balkan War was 
in full progress, and the country in a great 
state of unrest. But finally we decided to 
take the risk — though after we left Constan- 
tinople we wondered if there had been any 
risk at all. 

Before reaching Smyrna the boat en- 
countered a terrible storm. The wind was 
blowing at ninety miles an hour, and it seemed 
as if the little boat could hardly weather it. 
It was not a consolation to be told that this 
was " its last trip, anyhow." 

A short stop at Smyrna, and we continued 
on to Constantinople, passing through the 
Dardanelles. On the way we passed several 
Turkish gun-boats, which with the numerous 
soldiers in Constantinople were about the only 
reminders of the war that we saw in Turkey. 
Both at Beyrout and Smyrna American men- 
of-war were stationed. 

Constantinople has often been called one of 

the most beautiful cities of the world. Its 

location at the junction of the Golden Horn 

and the Bosphorus, is wonderful. And the 

121 



122 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

city itself with its myriad domes and minarets 
presents an outline to the sky that cannot be 
equaled. 

The mosques of Constantinople are as 
marvelous as they are numerous. The oldest 
and most important, historically, artistically, 
and architecturally, is the Hagia Sophia, or 
Church of the Divine Wisdom, usually called 
Santa Sophia, though there was no saint of 
that name. The proportions and details of 
the interior are magnificent, but its unusual 
dimensions are hard to realize. Much of the 
interior is of dark gray stone, dingy and dusty, 
and the effect is also spoiled by great Turkish 
inscriptions; so that it is a disappointment to 
many. Nearly all of the mosques have used 
this building as a model, only differing from 
it in minor details. One of the mosques is 
lined for nearly its entire height with blue 
tiles, giving a pleasing effect, even though 
it is slightly reminiscent of a bath-room. 

Another thing of exceptional beauty is 
found in the museum. It is called the sarcoph- 
agus of Alexander, although it was intended 
for one of Alexander's friends, not for him- 
self. The reliefs on the exterior are ex- 
quisite specimens of Greek art. One side de- 
picts a hunting scene, and has a portrait of 
Alexander on horseback, from which it gets 
its name. 

On Friday, the Mohammedan sabbath, we 



CONSTANTINOPLE — GREECE 123 

went to the " Selamlik," to see the Sultan, 
Mohammed V, on his way to the mosque to 
pray. There were many soldiers in the court- 
yard through which the Sultan drove directly 
to the mosque, but otherwise there was little 
formality. 

One of the most curious and unusual sights 
of the whole trip was found here in Constan- 
tinople, in the Dancing Dervishes. These are 
a religious sect, and express their devotion by 
strange dancing. The room was high, with 
a round platform in the center. Opposite the 
entrance sat the priest. On the floor were 
perhaps fifteen devotees, most of them dressed 
in white, though two were in green. Their 
costume consisted of a fez, a loose jacket, 
and a very full skirt, with baggy trousers 
underneath. Their feet were bare. Each in 
turn would bow to the priest, and then begin 
whirling around in one spot, until all were 
whirling in various parts of the room. They 
held their arms out, with their heads thrown 
to one side, and as they kept turning and turn- 
ing their skirts would flare wide. Their faces 
assumed an absorbed far-away expression, per- 
haps meant to be ecstatic but really looking de- 
cidedly sleepy. 

The boat we took from Constantinople to 
Pirseus, the port of Athens, was Russian, by 
the euphonious name of " Tchikhatchoff." It 
stopped a day in Smyrna, and allowed us a 



124 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

little time to see it. We drove through 
various parts of the town, and through the 
bazaars, and also went aboard the " Tennes- 
see/' which had been stationed there for 
some months. There were many reminders 
of home on board, but the most unexpected 
one, and therefore the one that gave us that 
homesick feeling, was just a plain U. S. mail 
box — it was one" of the best-looking things 
seen on the trip ! 

Athens is another city that has been so 
often described as to need only a passing 
word here. The Acropolis comes up to every 
expectation — it is magnificent. The marble 
is of beautiful color, and the buildings are so 
perfect that one is lost in a maze of specula- 
tion as to their real appearance in ancient 
times. Why is it that all restorations look 
heavy, solid, and distinctly out of the Greek 
spirit? Does the mere addition of a roof to 
the Parthenon, for instance, so change its 
appearance that we cannot accept it as pre- 
sented? In any case, we can depend that in 
the olden days they were far more beautiful, 
more wonderful. Greek taste was faultless, 
and we must put our faith in that, and let our 
modern scientific artists go on drawing their 
stumpy Acropolises. 

The Parthenon is small, compared to many 
other ancient temples. The Propylaea is being 
carefully restored, the stones, if perfect, being 




ATHENS, GREECE. 
In the Colonnade of the Parthenon. 



CONSTANTINOPLE — GREECE 125 

again placed in position, and if imperfect they 
are replaced by correct copies. Perhaps some 
day England will want to give back the Elgin 
marbles to be placed in their old position: 
the Greeks still feel their loss — they call it 
by another name — keenly. In the small 
Acropolis Museum are many relics, all of 
which were found on the Acropolis. Perhaps 
the most exquisite thing it contains is the 
small bas-relief of Nike fastening her sandal, 
from the balustrade of the temple of Nike 
Apteros. The exquisite delicacy of the 
molding of the body as seen through the 
draperies, and the grace of the draperies them- 
selves, makes this one of the most beautiful 
sculptures left to us from antiquity. 

There are many other interesting monu- 
ments to be seen in Athens, of course. The 
modern Stadion, on the site of the ancient 
one, and using some of its stones, is well 
worth a visit. One day we motored to Tatoi, 
the summer residence of the late King 
George. If any arguments are needed to 
make you glad you are not a king, surely a 
visit to almost any of the European royal 
palaces would furnish it! The tomb of the 
recently assassinated king was near by. The 
coffin lay on the ground, covered only with 
evergreens and flowers — a suitable memorial 
is to be built later. On returning we stopped 
to see the prisoners of war of high rank. 



126 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

They were lodged in what used to be a hotel, 
and were allowed a great deal of freedom. 

While at Athens news came that Scutari 
had fallen, which caused quite a demonstra- 
tion in the streets. 

The Greek Easter fell a month after the 
Roman one, and we were fortunate enough 
to be in Athens at the time. Through a 
friend we secured" a balcony facing the cathe- 
dral — an ugly romanesque one - — to witness 
the service held on the night before Easter. 
From this balcony we could see every part 
of the square. In the center a large stand had 
been erected for the dignitaries. The king 
usually attends this service, but on account of 
the recent death of his father he did not ap- 
pear. Around the platform stood two rows 
of soldiers, and back of them the whole square 
was filled with people. Exactly at midnight 
the bells began ringing, and the high priest 
appeared, clad in elaborately embroidered 
robes, and the service began. The " Holy 
Fire " was distributed to the crowds. Each 
person had a candle, and when these were lit 
the whole square was rilled with their soft 
light, and the effect was marvelously beauti- 
ful. It was a veritable glimpse of fairyland. 
The voice of the intoning priest, the responses 
of the choir, the mighty boom of near-by can- 
non, sudden flashes of red and white lights, 
the clanging of the bells, and the soft light of 



CONSTANTINOPLE — GREECE 127 

the thousands of candles, made a memorable 
mental picture. 

On our way to Patras we stopped at the 
ruins of Corinth. About all there is to be 
seen are the three columns of one of the old 
temples, and the medieval-looking ruins of 
Aero-Corinth on the hill behind. 

The boat for Italy stopped a few hours at 
Corfu, enabling us to visit the " Achilleion," 
built for the late Empress of Austria, and 
now owned by the Kaiser. The palace was 
disappointing, but the gardens were magnif- 
icent — a wonderful mass of color. 



Chapter XIII 

ITALY AND SICILY 

Four o'clock in the morning is not a happy- 
hour to embark from a vessel and go through 
the customs, but so it happened at Brindisi. 
The train ride to Naples consumed the rest 
of the day. Distances may not be great 
abroad, but it often takes a long time to travel 
over them. 

Who is it that having once visited Naples 
and its environs does not long to return? 
Two years before I had been there, and my 
anticipation of seeing it again was keen. 
Surely nowhere in the world are so many 
beauty spots nestled away in such close prox- 
imity to each other. 

After a short visit in Naples, where I had 
to bid my traveling companions farewell, I 
visited Capri and its blue grotto, Sorrento, 
Amalfi, Ravello, Cava and Paestum. Volumes 
could be written on each of these places. 

Everybody knows the marvelously beauti- 
ful drive from Sorrento to Amalfi. But it is 
not of the drive, but of the driver, that I am 
going to speak. He proved so amusing that 
I asked him to share the seat with me, so 
that I could the better hear his stories. He 
128 



ITALY AND SICILY 129 

had a keen sense of humor and an inimitable 
chuckle, that was in itself an irresistible in- 
vitation to laughter. He was about twenty- 
two; his name I have forgotten, but he angli- 
cized it by " Chimmy." He had been in 
America for several years, and had returned 
to be a " sodj " in the Italian-Turkish war. 
Here is one of his stories, as nearly as pos- 
sible in his own words : — 

" What you call dis to de hat — yes, de 
brim. When I go to New York I have big 
panama de Sorrent' — wid great big brim. 
De style in Americ' dat year was for ver' 
small brim, ver' small brim. I go to a place, 
an' dere were t'ree girls at de next table. 
One of de girls she say to me : — ' Oh, look 
at de fell' wid de hat like de umberell ! Wat 
you t'ink, it's going for to rain ? ' " 

But perhaps his masterpiece was the story 
of " Marie." He looked at me fixedly for a 
minute, then said : — 

" Not much peep' in Americ' wear mus- 
tache, do dey? Well, when I go to Americ' 
I have big mustache, oh, great big mustache. 
I go to work at grocery store on Broadway, 
'tween hundred an' nint' an' hundred an' 
tent' street. Every day I go to big house, to 
get de order. Oh, ver' rich peep' — dey give 
me fift' cent every day — ver' rich peep'. 
They have great big Irish cooking girl, you 
know, great big Irish cooking girl. Her 



130 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

name — her name Marie. I no speak to 
Marie de first day, but after a while we speak, 
and one day I say to her — jes' for to fool — 
I say to her — jes' for to fool — 'Marie, I 
want you to marry me.' She say, ' Oh, no, 
Chimmy, you Italian man, you no can be 
trusted.' So I t'ink no more about it. But 
two t'ree day later she say to me, ' Chimmy, 
you must take off dat mustache.' ' For why 
must I take off my mustache,' I say. She 
say, ' Well, if you want to be my sweetheart, 
you must take off dat mustache.' ' But,' 
I say, ' if I take off my mustache, I have a lot 
of odder mustache, I have to take off de 
mustache all de time ! ' ' Oh, no,' she say, 
" I t'ink you have only one mustache.' So I 
tell her ' to-morrow, to-morrow,' but I never 
take it off ! One day de mistress she say to 
me, ' What does Marie say to you all de 
time ? ' I say to her, ' Marie say I must take 
off my mustache, so I can be her sweetheart 
— but I rather lose my Marie than lose my 
mustache, by Jesu ! ' 

" Den I have to come back to It', to be 
a sodj. I no tell Marie! I go down and 
get my ticket for de boat goin' de next day, 
den I go up and see Marie. ' Goo-by, Marie ' 
I say, ' I see you to-morrow ' and all de time 
I have de ticket in de pocket! I no tell her I 
go back to It' : perhaps she take me to police 
court — dey do dat in Americ' ! " 




MESSINA, SICILY. 

'Death" — a Fallen Sculpture in the Ruins of the 

Cathedral. 



ITALY AND SICILY 131 

Just one more. I asked him to take me to 
the Cappuchin Hotel at Amalfi. Evidently his 
religion has departed, for he said : 

" Monks ! Monks and priests bad men. 
They say to rich woman, ' You leave me your 
money, and you go to Paradiso — you go no 
other place.' She leave them money, they eat, 
get fat, have good time, and she no go to 
Paradiso — for when person die — dat damn 
end — w'at you t'ink ? " 

Ravello is lovely. Back of Amalfi, and 
much higher than it, it commands a more ex- 
tensive view. The quaint houses and gardens 
here are fascinating, and the whole place is 
almost ideal. 

From Paestum with its imposing ruins I 
went direct to Sicily by train. Messina has 
been little restored — one would almost think 
the earthquake had happened the day before. 
Much of the rubbish has been cleared away, 
but few of the houses have been rebuilt. The 
loss of life was frightful, about one hundred 
thousand people — some say more. My guide 
said he had lost sixteen of his own family, 
including parents, wife, children, and the 
family of his sister. Many of the buildings 
and monuments of the Campo Santo were 
injured, and one can hardly walk there with- 
out stumbling every minute on the grave of 
some victim of the disaster. 

Another beauty spot of Italy is Taor- 



132 GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 

mina. Tired with travel, it was a pleasure to 
rest here for a few days, even if some of the 
sights of Sicily had to be lost thereby. A lit- 
tle room — the only one on the top floor of 
the tiny Hotel Belvidere, had a large balcony 
and an extensive view of the bay, with Etna 
in the background. By moonlight it was 
glorious. 

Palermo was a delightful city, full of life 
and color. The wild flowers in and around 
the town are especially beautiful. The three 
architectural glories of Palermo are the Cathe- 
dral, the Capella Palatina, and the Cathedral 
of Monreale. This latter is large and spa- 
cious, with two rows of towering columns. 
Every inch of wall space above the columns 
and the high marble wainscot is covered with 
mosaic. The groundwork is gold, and the 
figures are in brilliant colors. These, with 
the white marble of the floor and wainscot, 
make a color scheme of matchless beauty. 

The Capella Palatina is a little chapel in 
the Palace, built in 1132. It is a tiny room, 
a replica in miniature of Monreale. The 
mosaics are even more beautiful than those 
of Monreale, and the color effects — well, you 
feel as if you had penetrated into the heart 
of a diamond. 

And here my trip was ended, save for the 
voyage home. 

If there had been any tendency on my part 



ITALY AND SICILY 133 

— and I was conscious of none — to feel 
slightly better and more superior than other 
folk on this mundane sphere in consequence 
of having girdled it, it was effectually stopped 
when I boarded the " Konig Albert.' 3 I had 
crossed on her once before and had met Cap- 
tain Feyen then. He asked me where I had 
been, and naturally I replied that I was just 
completing a trip around the world. His only 
comment was : 

" My, aren't you dizzy ? " 



THE END 



ITINERARY. 

As a guide to anyone contemplating a trip similar 
to the one herein described, I append my itinerary. 
It is by no means an ideal one, as unsympathetic 
steamers, weather conditions, and other considera- 
tions often determine the length of stay, rather 
than personal inclination. 



134 



1912 

. May 23 Left New York. 

May 23-June 24. .Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, 
Denver, Colorado Springs, Al- 
buquerque. 

June 25 Acoma. 

June 26 The Petrified Forests. 

June 27-30 . ..Grand Canyon. 

July 1-26 California. 

July 26-Aug. 1 . . . " Korea." 

Aug. 1-9 Hawaiian Islands. 

Aug. 9-19 " Shiny Maru" 

Aug. 19-Sept. 19. Japan. 

Sept. 20-22 Korea. 

Sept. 22-24 Manchuria. 

Sept. 25-30 Peking and Environs. 

Oct. 2pii Hankow, Nanking and Shanghai 

Oct. 14-22 Hong Kong and Environs. 

Oct. 25-Nov. 5 Manila. 

Nov. 8-13 Hong Kong. 

Nov. 17-21 ...... ..Singapore. 

Nov. 23-30 Java. 

Dec. 2-5 Singapore. 

Dec. 7 Penang. 

Dec. 10-12 Rangoon. 

1913 
Dec. 14- Jan. 16. ..Northern India. 

Jan. 16-Jan. 22 Southern India. 

Jan. 23-Feb. 2... Ceylon. 

Feb. 2-12 " Prins Ludwig" 

Feb. 12-Mar. 12. .Egypt. 

Mar. 13-24 Jerusalem and Environs. 

Mar. 24- Apr. 5 . . . Camping Trip through Palestine. 

Apr. 5-12 Damascus, Baalbek, Beyrout. 

Apr. 17-20 Constantinople. 

Apr. 23-28 Athens and Environs. 

Apr. 29 Corfu. 

Apr. 30-May 10. ..Naples and Environs. 

May 11-19 Sicily. 

May 19-31 " Konig Albert." 

May 31 Arrived New York. 

135 



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GLIMPSES OF THE UNUSUAL 
AROUND THE WORLD 



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